Author: SME Chamber

"Participating
in International Tenders" – Date: 21 November 2013  – Venue: Smart City, Malta – This
aims to provide more information to local SMEs on what it entails to be active
on the international market through the submission of tenders.  

International and national expert speakers
will provide an overview of the legislative framework of EU procurement rules,
together with tips and best practices that should be taken note of prior to
submitting a bid.

"The
Power of Being Small"

Date: 22 November 2013  

Gozo [venue to be confirmed]

This
conference that will not only address today's challenging realities faced by
micro and small business entities but will also present the opportunities that
can still be exploited by such entrepreneurs. 
Various tools, like creative thinking techniques and cooperation
databases, together with other EU Funding Programmes, at the disposal of these
businesses, will be outlined and discussed by expert speakers.

"Managing
IPR for your business in China"

Date: 28 November 2013   l    
Venue: Malta Enterprise offices, Pieta'

This half-day event is being held for those enterprises that are
interested in carrying out business with Chinese SMEs.  Representatives from the China IPR SME
Helpdesk and the EU SME Centre in China shall be delivering presentations.
These two entities are both involved in helping SMEs facilitate their access to
the Chinese market by offering professional information and confidential advice
through their vast portfolio of services. 
Presentation topics will include:

 To register for these events or for more details kindly send an email to
:

Ref: ‘ EU Directive 98/70/EC (as amended by Directive 2003/17/EC and
Directive 2009/30/EC) li mponiet obbligu fuq l-iStati Membri sabiex jiprojbixxu
illi jigi ntrodott fis-suq jew jinbiegh fuel b'ammont ta' sulphur eccessiv' .

Meta din
id-direttiva giet introdotta Malta permezz tal-L.S. 423.29 ghal xi raguni jew
ohra nbidel is-sens u l-ispirtu tad-Direttiva u gie ntrodott obbligu fuq
l-utent flok fuq min qed jimporta id-diesel. Dan gara billi flok gie replikat
l-obbligu fid-Direttiva li jkun hemm projbizzjoni fuq min ipoggi d-diesel
fis-suq li jaccerta li l-livell ta' sulphur fid-diesel ma jaqbizx certu livell,
il-L.S. timponi obbligu fuq kulhadd li ma jsirx uzu ta' diesel ta' kwalita
nferjuri (u cioe b'livell ta' sulphur eccessiv.) Fil-wat li d-Direttiva tghid
"Member States shall ensure that diesel fuel may be placed on the market
in their territory only if it complies with the specifications set out in Annex
1" (Article 4) il-L.S. tghid, "Subject to the provisions of
subregulation (2), diesel fuel may be used, sold, offered for sale, or
otherwise marketed only if it complies with the specifications set out in the
Second Schedule" (Regulation 5(1)).

Il-ligi
Maltija, interpretata b'mod restrittiv kif qed taghmel l-MRA, qed tohloq
obbligu tassattiv fuq l-utent li ma juzax diesel li ma jkunx ta' livell
accettabbli. L-assurdita, bir-rispett kollu, ta' dan l-obbligu hija li utent
qatt m'hu ser ikun jaf jekk id-diesel fornit lilu huwa ta' livell accettabbli
jew le. Utent sempliciment imur sal-pompa u jimla l-vettura tieghu bid-diesel.
Semmai, il-verifiki u l-accertazzjoni trid issir f'mument aktar kmieni minn dak
biex l-utent ikun mohhu mistrieh li d-diesel fornit lilu huwa skont il-ligi.

Biex
tkompli taggrava s-sitwazzjoni, jekk utent jinstab li huwa qed juza diesel li
m'huwiex tal-livell accettabbli, huwa jkun hati ta' reat kriminali b'penali
f'forma ta' multa ta' bejn Euro 10,000 u Euro 69,800 u/jew prigunerija ta'
terminu sa massimu ta' 18-il xahar.

Il-GRTU
ghandha f'idejha kaz ta' membru taghha li gie mressaq il-Qorti Kriminali fuq
akkuza ta' din in-natura, u cioe talli uza diesel b'livell ta' sulphur
eccessiv, u dan ser jidher quddiem l-Qorti Kriminali fil-granet li gejjien.

Ghal dan
l-ghan l-GRTU tablet l-intervent tal-Onorevoli Konrad Mizzi  bil-ghan li tinstab soluzzjoni qabel ma jigu
rapurtati kazijiet ohra.

Aktar kmieni
din l-Gimgha l-GRTU iltaqet mas-sidien tal-hwienet gewwa High Street wara xi
tibdil fi Traffic Management. Wara li semghet l-proposti tas-sidien sabiex
jittaffa l-impatt li din l-bidla ghamlet, l-GRTU iltaqghet mas-Sindku sabiex
jintlahaq  l-ahjar kompromess bejn
l-partijiet kollha kkoncernati.

Il-Kunsill bhal
dejjem sema u qabel ma dak li l-GRTU ipproponiet ghan nom tas-sidien. Ser issir
talba formali mill-Kunsill lil Transport Malta fuq dak maqbul u miftiehem fejn
is-sidien jkunu moqdijin mill-ahjar possibbli.

Il-GRTU tiehu
l-opportunita' fejn tirringrazzja lis-Sindku ta' tas-Sliema u lil Transport
Malta ghal kooperazzjoni shiha.

This week GRTU's EU Desk and Europe
Direct Valletta held an information session on Access to Finance with special
focus of the BOV JEREMIE Scheme with the full collaboration of Bank of Valletta
and the European Commission representation in Malta.

Access to Finance is very
important for enterprises especially SMEs that tend to be more limited on cash
flow. GRTU was very pleased to see the JEREMIE scheme that had been very
successful in the past years and has helped around 540 enterprises invest in
their business extended.

The JEREMIE scheme supports
SMEs including micro enterprises and start-ups, though a financial facility
that is easily accessible and the provision of credit risk protection. The
scheme is in the form of a loan offered at advantageous interest rates and
collateral requirements.

What are the parameters of the
JEREMIE Scheme?

–    Eligible SMEs: Micro, Small or Medium sized as per EU definition

–    Excluded Industries: Industries related to Fishing, Agriculture,
Construction, Real Estate, Transport

–    Availability period: 36 months

–    Type of facility: New Loans (overdrafts are not eligible)

–    Purpose of Loan: Capital Expenditure (Investments which enhance
the company's value)

–    Repayment structure: Amortising or Bullet Type

–    Maturity period: Minimum 1 year/ Maximum 10 years

–    Default definition: In line with Basel II – 90 days in arrears
means default

–    Minimum loan amount is of €5K

The loan may be utilized for
various purposes amongst which:

–    Setting up of Business Premises including new catering establishments/
offices/ retail outlets

–    Purchase of tangible assets like machinery, computer hardware and
other equipment

–    Investment in Health Equipment

–    Purchase of transport (passenger) vehicles

–     Purchase of energy efficient equipment

–     Purchase of intangible assets like' acquisition of pharmacy
licence' which is capitalized in SME's Balance Sheet

Under JEREMIE start-ups are
defined as those SMEs which have carried out their main business for a maximum
period of 24 months.

6PM gave a presentation on
their experience with JEREMIE. The CEO explained how they had developed a new
innovative online product called Quick and the JEREMIE funds were utilized to
engage developers that would execute the tailor made demands of clients through
the tools offered by Quick. 6PM's Quick tools are developed to help clients
achieve more with less. Built on applied ‘Common Sense' principles that form
the foundation of the 6PM Agile Delivery Framework, these products are designed
to provide clients with easy to use tools that will help them save both time
and money.

As of 2014 other very
interesting schemes and funds will be made available under the umbrella of
Access to Finance, these include COSME and Horizon 2020, which we will hear
more about as the new year approaches.

The meeting was opened by Mr
Martin Bugelli, Head of the European Commission Representation Office in Malta
and Mr Paul Abela President of the GRTU. Dr Joanna Drake, Director, Promotion
of SMEs competitiveness at the DG Enterprise and Industry of the European
Commission, who delivered a speech on what to expect next from the EU in
relation to facilitating access to finance for SMEs. The JEREMIE Scheme
presentation was delivered by Mr Peter Sant, Head, research and EU Affairs,
Business generation and EU Affairs Department at BOV. Closing remarks were
delivered by Mr Noel Scerri, Executive Head, Business generation and EU
Affairs, BOV.

A very interesting information
session was held at the GRTU premises in collaboration with the European
Commission Representation Office in Malta on the European Consumer Credit
Directive, in line with a European Commission campaign aimed at raising awareness
about the rights this Directive establishes in aid of consumers.

Directive
2008/48/EC on credit agreements for consumers was transposed into Maltese Law
as Legal Notice 330 of 2010 and published in the Government Gazette of 11th
June 2010.

The campaign focuses on five
rights established by the Directive:

–    Advertisement that is transparent,

–    Provision of information that is compatible
prior to the signing of a contract also through a standardized form,

–    Clear information in the contract,

–    A 14 day period for withdrawal from any
contract without the need of any explanation

–   The right to repay the credit before the
stipulated time.           

The Directive is applicable only on
business to consumer credit agreements and on credit of between €200 and
€75,000. It is not applicable on credit agreements concerning property.

Further rights in favour of
the consumer include, that a contract is drawn on paper and the consumer is
given a copy, information provided where a request for credit is refused,
information related to changes in the lending rate and provision of information
if the credit limit is exceeded. The Directive also establishes a method of how
the annual percentage rate of repayment is calculated and the European
Commission has issued guidelines to help enterprises apply this method of
calculation.

 Further information can
be obtained from the campaign website:

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/citizen/my_rights/consumer-credit/index_en.htm

Addressing the meeting were Mr
Angelo Chetcuti, Press and Policy Officer at the European Commission
Representation Office, Ms Abigail Psaila Mamo, Head of Europe Direct Valletta
and the GRTU EU Desk and Dr Irelene Bonello from the Office for Consumer
Affairs within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.

Il-GRTU
tilqa` b'sodisfazzjon li xi whud mill-proposti li hi resqet ghal dan il-Budget
gew milqugha izda xorta ser tibqa tinsisti biex il-mizuri l-ohra li proponiet
jibqghu jittwettqu matul is-sena kif kien jigri fil-passat.

Fost il-proposti li
ntlaqghu hemm it-tibdil fil-ligi ghal min jaqa' lura fil-hlas tal-VAT biex
in-negozjanti ma jehlux mill-ewwel il-habs, il-facilita' tat-tranzizzjoni fil-Family
Businesses minn generazzjoni ghall-ohra minghajr hlas ta' taxxa u li jidher li
ser niccaqilqu fuq il-kwistjoni tal-imaxxijiet u charges ezagerati fuq
in-negozjanti mil-banek. Fost proposti ohra li prezentat il-GRTU u gew milqugha
hemm ukoll iz-zieda fir-rotot turistici specjalment ghax-xhur anqas
frekwentati, l-estensjoni tal-Micro Invest, skema ta' impernditorjat
ghaz-zghazagh u zieda fil-fondi allokati ghar-ricerka u innovazzjoni u l-MCST.

Hemm
ammont ta` mizuri fosthom li jnaqqsu t-taxxa dovuta u r-rohs fl-elettriku li
ser ihallu iktar disposable income fil-bwiet tal-konsumatur. Mizura pozittiva
ohra tirrelata mas-settur tal-kera fejn il-15% withholding tax ser tincentiva
s-suq importanti tal-kera. Ser titranga wkoll s-sitwazzjoni regolatorja f'dan
is-suq li l-GRTU ilha tinsisti fuqha.

Il-Gvern
fl-ahhar qed jirrokonixxi pubblikament li hemm problema ta` unfair competition
gejja minn barra minn Malta. Il-GRTU iddiskutit din il-problema mal-Gvern bosta
drabi u lesta li ghal darb'ohra terga taghti s-sehem taghha fid-diskussjonijiet
sakemm insibu soluzzjoni adekwata.

Wara
snin ta' effetti negattivi fuq il-hwienet tal-Belt b'konsegwenza
tax-xogholijiet, tan-nuqqas ta` parkegg u r-revizjoni tat-trasport pubbliku,
l-GRTU tilqa' l-proposta dwar is-CVA ghaliex kif ipprezentata, tagevola l-businesses
gewwa l-Belt. Tilqa` wkoll, il-pjan tat-traffiku u tat-trasport u nharsu
l-quddiem ghall-estensjoni tal-MCP.

Il-GRTU
hi sodisfatta bil-proposti li ser izidu l-iskemi ta` work placements u
apprentistat li mhux biss huma tajba ghal haddiema izda jaghtu return
b'deduzzjoni fit-taxxa lin-negozji li jaghmlu dawn l-esperjenzi possibli. Kien
hemm ghadd ta' proposti ohra li pprezentat il-GRTU biex l-SMEs jigu incentivati
biex izidu l-impjiegi, ikabbru n-negozji taghhom, u finalment ikattru
l-ekonomija li m'humiex qeghdin f'dan il-budget. Il-GRTU ser tibqa tahdem biex dawn
jigu implimentati.

Il-GRTU
tinnota White Papers u policies li jikkoncernaw diversi setturi fejn il-GRTU
kellha involviment attiv u dirett fid-diskussjonijiet u ghaldaqstant tistenna
li tkompli tkun involuta. Fost dawn hemm il-POYC (Pharmacy of Your Choice), is-shop
opening hours, u n-National Renewable Energy Action Plan. Dwar l-Eko
Kontribuzzjoni il-GRTU thoss li dan is-suggett ghandu jinghata importazna kbira
ghaliex bhal ma irrikonoxxa l-Gvern qed johloq zvantagg ghan-negozji tal-affari
taghhom. Is-soluzzjoni ghal problema tal-eko kontribuzzjoni ghandha tkun parti
minn pjan holistiku li jirrivolvi madwar skemi immexxjia mill-privat.

Dan il-budget
huwa kkaratterizzat minn bosta pjanijiet u studji li ghad iridu
jimmaterjalizzaw f'mizuri konkreti fil-futur gejjieni. Dan irid isir
b'konsultazzjoni mal-imsiehba socjali. Madanakollu f'dan ir-rigward nixtiequ
naraw miri cari sa meta ser tittiehed azzjoni konkreta.

The European
Union and Japan continued their negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement in a
third round discussions this week in Brussels. 

The negotiations focussed
on discussing each side's proposals for the text of the future FTA in all areas
of the trade agreement – from market access for goods and services to
investment, non-tariff barriers and the further opening of the Japanese public
procurement market.  An agreement between the two economic powerhouses is
expected to boost Europe's economy by 0.6 to 0.8% of its GDP and may create up
to 400.000 jobs. It is expected that EU exports to Japan could increase by
32.7%, while Japanese exports to the EU would increase by 23.5%. The next round
of negotiations will take place in early 2014.