The Mediterranean island of Malta has recorded the strongest growth in property prices from countries in the European Union, and recent news could help see property inflation in double figures for the next few years.

Figures released by the European Mortgage Federation show Malta's rise of over eighteen per cent was higher than both France and Spain.

Two EU countries, Germany and Austria, saw house prices drop, while Portugal, Greece and the Netherlands were barely into positive territory.

And property insiders on the island are predicting that strong growth could be around for a few years yet, giving Malta the potential to be seen by investors as a good place to buy.

Tribune Properties who specialise in property for sale in Malta report that the first quarter of 2006 has seen a good level of activity, with the top end of the market seeing particularly good performance levels.

'The first couple of weeks of January were slower than the same period last year' comments Michael Johnson, Tribune's Managing Director, 'but since then the number of sales has matched last year - a very good one - but villas with an asking price of a million Euros and more has seen increased activity, and a good number of sales'.

Malta Hotels and Holidays

The independent information site for holidays and hotels in Malta http://www.yourmalta.com also report increased interest in their property pages compared to the first quarter of 2005, with the number of page views increasing by nearly a third.

Sustained property inflation at levels seen in Malta is rarely seen in other countries, but new economic activity on the island could see property demand at good levels for some years to come.