Muscat: The economy is growing 'despite' the banks - PM keeps up attack on practices

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat returned to his attack on the practices of local banks this morning, saying the economy was growing 'despite' the banks. Dr Muscat launched his attack last week when the government announced a scheme to help access to finance for business start-ups. Speaking in a One Radio interview this morning, Dr Muscat said the banks blamed EU rules for the way they acted, but they were making the people’s and investors’ life difficult. “I know of very few banks in Europe which do what Maltese banks do, they need to be more down to earth,” he said. Earlier, Dr Muscat said the past week saw unprecedented ‘reformist energy,’ with the government piloting a major reform of the Lands Department, changes to parliamentary standing orders and a reform in the appointment of the members of the judiciary and discipline over judges and magistrates. He said that the Lands Department was being brought out of prehistory. A situation where people needed to know people to get things done was being replaced by transparency, and decisions would be taken by technical people not politicians, who would only set direction. The government's reformist energy could also be seen in the...