Culture as a pillar of social development

Owen Bonnici (Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.)

This week, Dr. Luke Dalli, the Executive Chairman of Arts Council Malta, and I announced that Malta has officially become a member of Eurimages, the Council of Europe's film support fund. This is an important step for our country's domestic audiovisual sector and its integration into the European cultural landscape. 

The membership followed a comprehensive evaluation process led and coordinated by Arts Council Malta. As part of this process, a Maltese delegation travelled to Strasbourg to formally present and defend Malta's accession report before Eurimagesrepresentatives. They did a remarkable job. 

Malta's membership in Eurimages reflects the country's ongoing commitment to strengthening the cultural and creative sectors through transparent, merit-based structures. This step opens new opportunities for local filmmakers to collaborate internationally and compete at the European level.  It was a strategic decision we took almost immediately as soon as the film portfolio, back in November 2024, became part of the Culture brief. 

Local film production is an important economic niche that we are working to nurture, support, and grow. The talent in Maltese cinema is strong, the infrastructure is improving, and opportunities are available. Over the past few months, through Arts Council Malta, we invested a total of €2.8 million in various audiovisual projects through the Screen Support Scheme and we will keep building on these improvements. 

The Eurimages support fund has an annual budget of approximately €27.5 million, derived essentially from contributions from member states and returns on loans granted by the Fund. Malta's Eurimages membership shall enhance local film production.

€1.5 million 

This week, we announced the results of the Investment in Cultural Organisations Fund, administered by Arts Council Malta. Through this program, we are investing €1.5 million over three years to provide greater stability and the certainty that voluntary cultural organizations need to plan, grow, and deliver long-term cultural activity across Malta. 

This fund supports organizations in the cultural and creative sectors, helping them strengthen governance, sustainability, and long-term planning while also creating professional opportunities for artists and keeping audiences engaged. 

This approach reflects our commitments and aligns with Vision 2050, recognizing culture as a pillar of social development and community well-being. A strong cultural ecosystem depends on strong organizations built on good governance, integrity, and long-term vision. The selected organizations represent a diverse range of disciplines, including theatre, dance, visual arts, and cultural heritage, and promote diversity, artists' rights, and transparency. Funding is awarded through a competitive, merit-based, and independent process - because culture thrives on freedom and equality.

First, and last impressions 

Prime Minister Robert Abela visited the Malta International Airport this week to announce a massive €345 million investment. Within two years, Malta International Airport will have a new 6,000-square-meter air terminal. MIA has become a major European travel hub. Malta's tourism is booming, as is our economy. The airport is a visitor's first and last impression. Having a state-of-the-art terminal is paramount. A labour government is a guarantee of economic success. Our track record speaks for itself.

Labour care 

This month, the 2026 budget took effect. Families and the elderly are the biggest winners. Historic tax cuts, the 13th consecutive pension increase, improved children's allowances, higher stipends, and subsidies to keep energy prices in check remain. Dubbed the best budget ever, it certainly is for labour care.

Grok 

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is highly beneficial, especially in digital health, the sciences, research and development, and education. On the other hand, it comes at a cost to privacy and people's well-being. The European Commission will open a formal investigation into Elon Musk's social platform X because the platform allows sexual images of people, including children, to be generated through its Artificial Intelligence chatbot, named 'Grok'.  This is a development which should be followed closely.

Free trade 

India and the European Union have reached a free trade agreement to deepen economic and strategic ties. The accord will establish free trade on almost all goods between the 27 members of the EU and India, covering everything from textiles to medicines and lowering high import taxes on European wine and cars. India has made significant economic progress in the past two decades, and this trade agreement is important for both India and the EU. Free trade agreements are the way forward; tariffs and trade barriers are never the way forward.

Shalem

81-year-old Ilana Kantorowicz Shalem is among the youngest Holocaust survivors. She was born in the dying days of the Second World War, when the Nazi leadership was in disarray, which explains why she survived; otherwise, she most certainly would have been killed. More than eight decades after the Holocaust, Shalem is sharing her story - and her mother's - for the first time, realizing how few Holocaust survivors remain. Last Tuesday, January 27, was International Holocaust Remembrance Day - the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of the death camps, where some 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were killed just for the fact that they were Jews.  In all over 6 million Jews lost their lives in World War II - a cruel, unacceptable and horrendous stain on the history of mankind which will stay with us till the end of time.

As we remember the Shoah, the Holocaust, we are reminded of the depths to which dehumanisation and unchecked violence can lead. By honouring this memory, we are closing the door to violence against civilians everywhere, because no one - including Palestinians in the Middle East - should be subjected to collective punishment or collective erasure. Otherwise, we would be perpetuating the maxim of the Greek thinkers that we heard again a few days ago from the mouth of Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada: "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must."

Rove 

Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential examines the political career and influence of Karl Rove, former President Bush's chief strategist. It is an engaging book that focuses on Rove's strategic role in George W. Bush's campaigns for Governor of Texas and President of the United States. The book exposes the brutal and sometimes morally questionable political tactics of the man who, during the Bush presidency, was the power behind the throne.