Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542182
15 OPINION maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 DECEMBER 2025 JP Fabri Economist Vision 2050 will fail without values AS Malta approaches the final stages of articulating its Vision 2050, there is a risk that we mis- take long-term planning for a technical exercise. Targets are set, indicators refined, pillars aligned. Yet, visions fail not be- cause they lack structure but because they lack values. In an age of permanent crisis, geopolitical instability, climate pressure, demographic change, and technological disruption, a country's true compass is not its GDP projections but the prin- ciples that guide its decisions when trade-offs become una- voidable. If Vision 2050 is to be more than a document, it must rest on a values framework that shapes political behaviour, pol- icy choices, and institutional culture well beyond electoral cycles. One way to anchor this is to be explicit about the values we expect to guide the country; values that are not abstract slo- gans but practical disciplines. 'MALTA' can stand for Ma- turity, Accountability, Liberty, Transformation, and Ambition. Together, these five values form a compact for how we govern, how we debate, and how we make long-term decisions in an age of uncertainty. They are not partisan. They are civic. And they reflect the kind of coun- try Malta must become if it is to navigate complexity without losing cohesion or purpose. Maturity Maturity is perhaps the most urgent. Malta's political dis- course remains trapped in short-termism, reactive policy- making, and the constant cali- bration of decisions against the next election. This is no longer tenable. A small, open economy navigating global uncertainty cannot afford permanent cam- paigning. Mature governance means the ability to take diffi- cult decisions early, to explain trade-offs honestly, and to build consensus around long-term national interests. It means recognising that infrastructure, education, climate adaptation, and demographic planning do not deliver immediate applause, but determine future prosperi- ty. Maturity also requires a shift in political language. We must move away from framing every reform as a win or loss for one side. The challenges Malta fac- es, from traffic congestion to skills mismatches to fiscal sus- tainability, are systemic. They cannot be solved within parti- san silos. Vision 2050 should therefore embed mechanisms for cross-party alignment on core national missions, insulat- ing key policies from electoral volatility. Without this, even the best-designed strategies will unravel under political pres- sure. Accountability Accountability is the natural companion to maturity. Malta has expanded its role as a state dramatically over the past dec- ade, but governance structures have not evolved at the same pace. The result is blurred re- sponsibility, overstretched in- stitutions, and declining trust. Accountability does not simply mean audits or reports. It means ensuring that decision-making power is matched with compe- tence, transparency, and conse- quences. This opens a necessary dis- cussion on institutional reform. Parliament, regulatory bodies, and public administration must be fit for a complex economy. That may require rethinking the size, composition, remuner- ation, and professionalisation of political institutions. Paying decision-makers adequately, strengthening expertise within parliament, and clarifying lines of responsibility are not priv- ileges. They are safeguards. A state that demands excellence must be willing to resource it properly. Liberty Liberty remains one of Malta's strongest achievements. Over recent decades, the country has made significant advances in civil rights, personal freedoms, and social inclusion. These gains must be protected. But liberty is not only about indi- vidual choice. Drawing from the tradition of civic or republican liberty, freedom also depends on institutions that prevent domination, arbitrariness, and concentration of power. True liberty requires strong, independent institutions that constrain both political and economic power. It requires a media ecosystem that informs rather than inflames. It requires economic struc- tures that offer real opportuni- ty, not dependency. Vision 2050 should therefore treat liberty as an institutional condition, not only a social one. A free so- ciety is one where citizens can plan their lives without fear of sudden policy reversals, opaque decision-making, or unequal application of rules. Transformation Transformation is where val- ues meet economic reality. Malta's past growth model has delivered employment and in- come gains, but it is increasing- ly showing strain. Transforma- tion does not mean abandoning what works. It means renewing it. Productivity, innovation, and resilience must replace vol- ume-driven expansion as the engines of growth. This requires rethinking how capital is allo- cated, how skills are developed, and how land and resources are used. Transformation also de- mands honesty about limits. Not every sector can grow in- definitely. Not every policy can be deferred. Vision 2050 must therefore prioritise quality over quantity, depth over breadth, and long-term competitive- ness over short-term activity. This includes transforming education systems, infrastruc- ture planning, and investment strategies to support higher val- ue creation rather than simply higher throughput. Ambition Ambition is the value that binds all others. Malta often declares itself "among the best in Europe," yet ambition is not about rankings or slogans. It is about standards. It is about how decisions are made, how public money is spent, how institutions perform, and how citizens are treated. Real ambition is quiet, demanding, and persistent. A truly ambitious Malta would aim to be exemplary in govern- ance, not just growth. It would measure success by the resil- ience of its systems, the pre- paredness of its people, and the credibility of its institutions. It would invest early, regulate intelligently, and plan with humility. It would accept that excellence requires discipline and that leadership sometimes means saying no. Nation's operating system As Vision 2050 nears comple- tion, the central question is not whether Malta can grow, but whether it can grow wisely. Val- ues are not a philosophical add- on. They are the operating sys- tem of a nation. Without them, strategy becomes theatre. With them, even difficult choices ac- quire legitimacy. Malta's future will not be se- cured by projections alone. It will be secured by the values we choose to govern by when the next crisis arrives. The Maltese Government published its Vision 2050 document this year, as part of a consultation process that ended in November. The finalised vision is expected to be unveiled in the new year