Minister's Foreword
 Malta, since the Second World War, has successfully addressed successive international and local challenges whilst at the same time securing an excellent standard of living and an effective social welfare system.
Yet today we face different challenges then those faced by our fore fathers. Amongst others we face the challenge of sustainable development which includes the challenge of assuring that the right to affordable and adequate housing is enjoyed by every member of our society.
In a small nation such as ours the optimised use of available housing stock is of fundamental importance – both in terms of rendering vacant housing stock productive; as well as in re-generating existing stock as against allowing the potential sprawl of new development on virgin land which would threaten our quest for sustainable development.
In searching for solutions we must recognise that the instruments introduced over 60 years ago and still in play today in terms of regulating urban dwellings no longer apply to today’s problems. What was necessary subsequent to the devastation of housing stock as a result of war damage is no longer appropriate today in terms of assuring a functional housing market.
There is no doubt that the issue under consideration is complex: as the solutions must address, amongst others, social, housing, economic, and inclusion dimensions.
There is also no doubt, however, that reform must happen if we are to be successful in achieving sustainable development. In the preparation of the recommendations presented in this White Paper care has been taken to design a reform that balances and weaves the different dimensions in a manner that secures fairness, provides protection where so appropriate, and achieves social justice amongst the parties.
In articulating the recommendations presented in this White Paper we have, with intent, avoided an aggressive pace in the transition from the state of play today to a liberalised post-1995 market: which constitutes the rent governance framework benchmark in place today.
In articulating the reform of the pre-1995 rental framework we have adopted an incremental pace directed to over time achieve a smooth transition of bringing, to the extent possible, pre-1995 tenancies on the same footing as post-1995 tenancies.
John Dalli
Minister for Social Policy
|