Government and the Economy

Government

Malta is an independent parliamentary republic with a parliament-elected president as head of state, and a prime minister leading an elected government for five-year terms. The country has a long-established and strong democratic tradition with high levels of voter participation. It is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and the Commonwealth. The rule of law is respected in civil society and the power is smoothly transferred following, regular, fair and open elections. No one group or class dominates the society or the economy.

The Maltese Government has a tradition of encouraging foreign investors to establish operations in Malta and has always adopted policies that favour an open economy and direct investment. In fact, Malta is one of the EU's most open economies as a traditional trading nation reliant on import and export.

 

Workforce

The Maltese workforce is well-qualified, flexible and multilingual. The quality of education is high, which leads to high productivity and therefore lower unit costs. The majority of the Maltese population is fluent in Maltese, English and Italian, with the former two being both official languages.

 

Investment

Pharmaceuticals, electronics, information communications technologies, agri-foods and precision engineering are just some of a number of sectors offering prolific investment opportunities.

Acting as a bridge country, Malta is fast becoming a regional hub for dynamic financial services, i-gaming and back-office services.  An attractive package of incentives, including tax breaks, subsidised factory space, soft loans and rebates on training and employment costs is offered to investors interested in Malta. It has a comprehensive network of double taxation treaties, fiscal advantages in line with EU legislation, a growing professional class of highly trained and qualified individuals, a well-established cadre of professional advisors, and excellent electronic communications and flight connections.