Indeed, the University of Malta and other specialized institutions provide training and tuition leading to professional qualifications in all these fields. In addition, Malta benefits from a wide network of Double Taxation Agreements, covering some 40 countries, while investment by both the public and private sectors has provided a modern and efficient telecommunications system and airport facilities (the latter now under Austrian management), good hotels and office space and housing of high quality. These attributes, complemented by Malta’s favorable geographical position and climate, make the island a profitable place to do business from. 4  BIS Review 31/2004
Therefore, looking ahead, acting in a firm and timely manner to ensure price stability in the medium term remains warranted. As regards fiscal policy, there is growing confirmation that the favourable cyclical developments led to better than expected budgetary outcomes in 2006 in a number of countries and in the euro area as a whole. However, updated stability programmes foresee only moderate progress with fiscal consolidation in the coming years. In this respect, some countries’ consolidation targets appear not  2  BIS Review 23/2007  fully in line with the requirements of the revised Stability and Growth Pact. Risks stem in particular from a lack of well-specified and credible measures, notably on the expenditure side of budgets. Given the favourable economic environment, the Governing Council considers it essential that procyclical policies are avoided in all euro area countries and that sufficiently ambitious fiscal consolidation efforts are made in the countries with remaining budgetary imbalances and/or high public debt outstanding. The opportunity should be seized to attain sound public finances within the programme horizons and by 2010 at the latest in all euro area countries. Fiscal consolidation that is part of a medium-term-oriented, credible and expenditure-based reform strategy would support longerterm output and employment growth and help prepare for the fiscal impact of population ageing. As regards structural reforms, the European Council will discuss the current state of, and future progress in, the implementation of the Lisbon strategy at its meeting which starts today.