Invitation: Meet business delegation from IZMIR, Turkey


A delegation of 11 persons
from Odemis (in the region of Izmir), Turkey, will be visiting Malta between
the 1st and 4th June 2013.

Nine businessmen will
accompany the delegation from the following sectors:

 

Education

Tourism

Health

Milk products

Tree and flower growing

Textiles and silk

Construction industry

 

If you are interested to meet these
businesses directly you  are invited to attend a short business
presentation and business to business meetings on Tuesday 4th June, 2013. The
session starts at 10.00am and ends at 13.00pm.

If interested or require further
information kindly contact Mr Mark Pizzuto on 25423430 or .

 

 

Lesson 7A: What does it mean to be a European citizen?

Citizenship of the European Union is enshrined in the EU
Treaty: ‘Every person holding the nationality of a member state shall be a
citizen of the Union. Citizenship of the Union shall be additional to and not
replace national citizenship'. But what does EU citizenship mean in practice?

I. Travelling, living and working
in Europe

If you are an EU citizen you have the right to travel, work
and live anywhere in the European Union.

If you have completed a university course lasting three years
or more, your qualification will be recognised in all EU countries, since EU
member states have confidence in the quality of one another's education and
training systems. You can work in the health, education and other public
services (except for the police, armed forces, etc.) of any country in the
European Union.

Before travelling within the EU you can obtain from your
national authorities a European health insurance card, to help cover your
medical costs if you fall ill while in another country.

II. How you can exercise your
rights as a European citizen

As a citizen of the European Union you are not just a worker
or a consumer: you also have specific political rights:

Regardless of
your nationality, you have had the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in
local elections in your country of residence and in elections to the European
Parliament.

You have the
right to petition the Commission to put forward a legislative proposal –
provided you can find a million people from a significant number of EU
countries to sign your petition.

III. Fundamental rights

The Charter of Fundamental
Rights of the EU contains six headings – Dignity, Freedoms, Equality, Solidarity,
Citizens' rights and Justice under which fall 54 articles that set out the EU's
fundamental values and the civil, political, economic and social rights of EU
citizens.

The opening articles cover human dignity, the right to life,
the right to the ‘integrity of the person' and the right to freedom of
expression and of conscience. The chapter on solidarity brings together, in an
innovative way, social and economic rights such as:

the right to strike;

the right of workers to be informed and consulted;

the right to reconcile family life and professional life;

the right to
healthcare, social security and social assistance throughout the European
Union.

 

The Charter also promotes equality between men and women and
introduces rights such as data protection, a ban on eugenic practices and the
reproductive cloning of human beings, the right to environmental protection,
the rights of children and elderly people and the right to good administration.

IV. Europe means education and
culture

A sense of belonging together and having a common destiny
cannot be manufactured. It can only arise from a shared cultural awareness, which
is why Europe needs to focus not just on economics but also on education,
citizenship and culture.

The EU does not say how schools and education are to be
organised or what the curriculum is: these things are decided at national or
local level. But the EU does run programmes to promote educational exchanges so
that young people can go abroad to train or study, learn new languages and take
part in joint activities with schools or colleges in other countries. These
programmes include Comenius (school education), Erasmus (higher education),
Leonardo da Vinci (vocational training), Grundtvig (adult education) and Jean
Monnet (university-level teaching and research in European integration).

In the field of culture, the EU's ‘Culture' and ‘Media'
programmes foster cooperation between TV programme and film-makers, promoters,
broadcasters and cultural bodies from different countries. This encourages the
production of more European TV programmes and films.

 

One of Europe's essential characteristics is its diversity of
languages – and preserving that diversity is an important EU objective. Indeed,
multilingualism is fundamental to the way the European Union works. EU
legislation has to be available in all 23 official languages, and every MEP has
the right to use his or her own language in parliamentary debates.

 

V. The Ombudsman and your right to petition Parliament

 

To help bring the EU closer to its citizens, the Treaty on
European Union created the post of Ombudsman. The European Parliament appoints
the Ombudsman, who remains in office for the duration of the Parliament. The
Ombudsman's role is to investigate complaints against EU institutions and
bodies. Complaints may be brought by any EU citizen and by any person or
organisation living or based in an EU country. The Ombudsman tries to arrange
an amicable settlement between the complainant and the institution or body
concerned.

 

VI. A sense of belonging

 

The idea of a ‘citizens' Europe' is very new. Some symbols of
a shared European identity already exist, such as the European passport, in use
since 1985. EU driving licences have been issued in all EU countries since
1996. The EU has a motto, ‘United in diversity', and 9 May is celebrated as
‘Europe Day'.

 

However, people cannot feel they ‘belong to' the European
Union unless they are aware of what the EU is doing and understand why. The EU
institutions and member states need to do much more to explain EU affairs in
clear and simple language. People also need to see the EU making a tangible
difference to their daily lives. In this respect, the use of euro notes and
coins since 2002 has had a major impact.

 

More than two thirds of EU citizens now manage their personal
budget and savings in euro. Pricing goods and services in euro means that
consumers can compare prices directly from one country to another. Border
checks have been abolished between most EU countries under the Schengen
Agreement, and this already gives people a sense of belonging to a single,
unified geographical area.

 

A sense of belonging comes, above all, with feeling
personally involved in EU decision-making. Every adult EU citizen has the right
to vote in European Parliament elections, and this is an important basis for
the EU's democratic legitimacy. That legitimacy is being increased as more
powers are given to the European Parliament, national parliaments have a
greater say in EU business and Europe's citizens become more actively involved
in NGOs and political movements. If you want to help shape the European agenda
and influence EU policies, there are many ways to do so. There are, for
example, online discussion forums dedicated to European Union affairs where you
can join in the debate, and you can post your views on Commissioners' or MEPs'
blogs. You can also contact the Commission or Parliament directly, online or
via one of their offices in your country. Europe Direct offices near you can help
you do this as well.

 

The European Union was set up to serve the peoples of Europe,
and its future must be shaped by the active involvement of people from all
walks of life. The EU's founding fathers were well aware of this. ‘We are not
bringing together states, we are uniting people', said Jean Monnet back in
1952. Raising public awareness about the EU and involving citizens in its
activities is still one of the greatest challenges facing the EU institutions
today.

Another successful event by Creditinfo Malta in collaboration with GRTU


On Tuesday 28th May a seminar,
entitled "Would you give a stranger €50?" was held at GRTU offices, attended by
GRTU members. The seminar was
aimed at businesses that trade with local and international
companies/individuals and give or have credit issues.
The main focus of the
discussion was what tools and systems are available to assist businesses in
their daily transactions with customers, suppliers and potential new clients,
handling outstanding debts, improving cash flow, as well as highlighting the
importance of knowing who they are dealing with.

The seminar was well received from
the attendees and such events will follow in the near future.

Valletta Local Council: A case that leads to reflection

We as GRTU are not against Local
Councils who want better for their Locality in whatever service, however the
tender document issued has to be followed and adhered to. Decisions of the
Local Council have to be taken in line with the tender document.

We surely feel that it is the
ripe time that the Government should set up Adjudication Board/s in a number of
different sectors related to the day to day running of Local Councils. Tenders
relating to Waste Managment amongst others should be adjudicated by competent
persons appionted by Government through its different Ministries or
stakeholders, this both to protect public funds and also to provide a
transparent and level playing field. The Board would then adjudicate all Waste
Managment tenders issued by all Local Councils.

Over and over again, GRTU has
been inundated with allegations by contractors who operate in the waste
managment sector that Local Councils award the tenders to whoever they want.
Whilst this cannot be accepted as a blanket statement, we are sure somewhere
something is wrong. Whatever is wrong needs to be addressed and solutions
found.

Valletta Local Council has
clearly shown that it does not respect Public Procurement Regulations,
instructions given to it by the Public Contracts Review Board, and  instructions forwarded by the Department of
Local Government. Can all these Authorities be in the wrong and Valletta Local
Council be in the right?

We are of the opinion that there
is more to these three tenders than what one sees at face value today. Going
through the saga that started from early 2012 to date shows one trail, a trail
of arrogance and half truths which can never be accepted by the business
community in this sector. This sector has had enough and all it needs is the
continued arrogance of a Local Council like Valletta. If Valletta Local Council
have got away with all this, why wouldnt any other Local Council follow suit?
Is this the way forward?

Article
written by Joe Attard, GRTU Official responsible for Waste, Energy, Transport
and Environment.

Consultation: Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package

GRTU has this week attended a consultation session organized
by MEUSAC in conjunction with the MCCAA on the subject in caption.The free
movement of safe consumer products is one of the cornerstones of the European
Union. It is an important pillar of the single market and gives consumers
confidence when purchasing products. The impact of this Proposal will have
positive outcomes on:

Consumers through reinforced confidence that consumer products made
available on the single market are safe.

Economic operators with clearer rules as regards the respective obligation
incumbent on manufacturers, importers and distributors.

Authorities with clear legal framework to enforce general safety
requirement and obligations on economic operators and better identification of
(dangerous) consumer products.

The package, adopted
by the European Commission on February 13, 2013 will be discussed in the
European Parliament and in the Council. It is expected that the new legislation
will come into effect in 2015 or later.

Consumer product safety

This Proposal for a Regulation on consumer product safety
concerns manufactured non-food consumer products. It requires that consumer
products must be "safe", sets certain obligations on economic
operators and contains provisions for the development of standards in support
of the general safety requirement. However, the operation of the proposed
Regulation and its interface with other Union legislation will be significantly
streamlined and simplified whilst maintaining a high level of protection of the
health and safety of consumers.

The proposed Regulation clearly delimits its scope of
application compared to Sectoral Union harmonisation legislation. Whilst the
general principle that all non food consumer products must be safe applies
across the board, the more detailed obligations on economic operators only
apply to those operators that are not subject to corresponding obligations laid
down in harmonising legislation covering a specific product sector. The
Commission envisages drawing up guidance which will help businesses, in
particular small and medium-size enterprises, to identify which legislation applies
to the consumer products they manufacture or distribute.

Market surveillance of products

The Proposal is part of the "Product Safety and Market
Surveillance Package" which also includes a Proposal for a Regulation on
consumer product safety (replacing the GPSD) and a multi-annual action plan for
market surveillance covering the period 2013-2015.

Although harmonisation rules are in place for most products a
good legislative framework is only as effective as those using it allow it to
be. Alongside responsible economic operators, prepared to adapt their methods
and incur the costs necessary to comply with the law, there will always be
those traders who cut corners or deliberately flout the rules
to ‘make a fast buck' or gain a competitive edge.

Market surveillance is
the answer. If high quality legislation, based on a sound evaluation of market
needs is one side of the coin, market surveillance is the other. It should
enable unsafe or otherwise harmful products to be identified and kept or taken
off the market and unscrupulous or even criminal operators punished. It should
also act as a powerful deterrent.

This Proposal aims at
clarifying the regulatory framework for market surveillance in the field of
non-food products. It merges the rules on market surveillance of the GPSD,
Regulation (EC) 765/2008 and many sector-specific pieces of Union harmonization
legislation into a single legal instrument that applies horizontally across all
sectors.

Market surveillance
action by national authorities has important implications for small and
medium-sized enterprises. Consequently, their situation should be taken into
account particularly in relation to action that could impose additional
administrative burdens.

GRTU position

GRTU believes that
consumer confidence is a clear priority for business. We are therefore
supportive of the Commission's goals to ensure a high level product safety for
consumers throughout Europe and to achieve the smooth functioning of the single
market for goods.

In this respect GRTU
welcomes the package on Product Safety and Market Surveillance and supports the
package's aim to streamline EU legislation for product safety. By providing a
common framework for all non-food products and clear responsibilities for every
private and public operator, the Commission will increase legal certainty. We,
as economic operators, welcome this: It will enable us to further strengthen
safety mechanisms. Combined with consistent, fair and effective enforcement,
this will help achieve the goal of placing only safe products on the market.

Green MT distributes grey bags to St Venera residents


Green MT has started its half yearly
distribution of grey bags to Santa Venera Local Council residents. Earlier this
week and continuing into next week we are distributing grey bags door to door
together with a leaflet outlining a holistic approach to waste management in
Santa Venera.

Green MT is currently recovering
near to four tons of Packaging Waste weekly from Santa Venera with the
cooperation of its contractor Northern Cleaners Group Ltd.

Eco Councillors will leave a
flyer at your door if you are not at home. The flyer entitles you to grey bags
collection from the Local Council on a Saturday morning.

Green MT continues to operate the
largest Packaging Waste Complaince Scheme in Malta. Last year the Scheme
recovered nearly 13, 000 tons of Packaging Waste from its Local Councils,
commercial establishments and Bring in Sites.

Consultation: MEPA Reform

 The Government in collaboration with the
Malta Environment and Planning Authority has launched a three week public
consultation to listen to suggestions from the public on how the planning
system and other procedures within MEPA can be simplified.Through this reform, Government
intends to reduce bureaucratic procedures and eliminate procedures which
overlap and duplicate work.

The process is also part of the
government's plan to divide MEPA into two Authorities, with an Authority
responsible for Planning and Sustainable Development and another responsible
for the Environment and Resources.

GRTU is currently drafting its
position in reply to the consultation and members wishing to raise points and
have them included in GRTU's position are invited to send any comments/
suggestions they have on
by Wednesday 5th June.

One can also send their contributions
directly on .

Green MT Recovered glass from Local Councils as from Sept 2011


Green Mt, the National Authorised
Packaging Waste Scheme has been collecting glass from a number of Local
Councils since September 2011. Siggiewi was the first Local Council which
provided its residents with black crates (supplied by Green MT), so that residents
could place glass in this crate and as such provide a tidy means of recovery.

It has transpired over the months
that a large number of these crates are stolen for other purposes, mainly
agricultural. So although expanding the Scheme to other three localities, the
Scheme has not distributed crates other then for Birgu (Vittoriosa).

The collections are made mostly
on a Monday and over three tons are collected weekly. However Green MT has now
ceased to provide the crates, after our learning curve and are now asking
residents to place glass in a carton or on the door step for early collection
on Monday.

The public is to be made aware
that currently glass is not sold at a positive price but we are sure that it
can be used by contractors in road construction, if the Competent Authority can
assure Schemes that such volumes used are considered when one is verifying
rcycling targets.

Green Mt also has 260 Glass Bins
in 34 Local Councils from which approximately, 150 tons are recovered. It is
well to note that collection of glass is on the increase in the sister island
of Gozo from the commercial sector.( 25 tons monthly).

Abusing next to bring in Sites is
also an issue. It costs Green mt good money to clean these sites and continous
cooperation of the Local Councils  is
highly appreciated.

Id-Decizjoni tal-Kummisjoni Ewropea li tpoggi lill-Malta taht Excessive Deficit Procedures

Id-Decizjoni
tal-Kummisjoni Ewropea li tpoggi lill-Malta taht Excessive Deficit Procedures hi ahbar hazina. – Il-GRTU Kamra Maltija ghall-Intraprizi Zghar u Medji bl-akbar
rapprezentanza f'Malta ta' intraprizi micro,
small u
medji, ssostni li id-decizjoni li hadet illum il-Kummissjoni Ewropea li terga'
tpoggi lil Malta f'sitwazzjoni ta' excessive
deficit procedures hi decizjoni hazina hafna ghal Malta u se taghti messagg ikrah
lill-investituri fi zmien li diga' hu difficli.

Din id-decizjoni li setghet
giet evitata kieku il-mexxejja politici Maltin u rapprezentanti tal-imsiehba
socjali urew aktar maturita' fil-mod kif jindirzzaw kwistjonijiet importanti
ta' natura ekonomika u socjali. Hu in-nuqqas ta' ftehim fuq livell Nazzjonali
dwar programm serju ta' riformi li qieghed kull darba iwaqqa' lill-pajjizna
f'din is-sitwazzjoni kerha.

Il-GRTU issostni li Malta setghet ghamlet pass hafna ahjar
biex f'pajjizna ikunu evitati il-konsegwenzi negattivi ta' din id-decizjoni
tal-Kumissjoni. Malta diga' ghaddiet minn din l-esperjenza qarsa fl-2004
sal-2007 u ghal darb'ohra bejn l-2009 u l-2012. Matul dawn iz-zewg perjodi,
allavolja tat-tieni kien gie fiz-zmien li Malta intlaqtet mir-ricessjoni,
pajjizna ghamel is-sagrificcji mehtiega u kuntrarjament ghal hafna pajjizi
ewropej ohra, irnexxilu malajr johrog mir-ricessjoni u jkompli jkattar il-gid
ekonomiku u jsostni it-tkattir tal-impjiegi, allavolja kellhom jiddahhlu
decizjonijiet iebsin. In-Nuqqas izda ta' ftehim fuq livell Nazzjonali fuq numru
twil ta' snin bejn Gvern u imsiehba socjali ma tax il-garanziji mehtiega li pajjizna
jimxi b'mod sod u konsistenti.

Pajjizna ghandu l-aktar ekonomija miftuha fl-Ewropa u
niddependu kwazi ghal kollox fuq l-andament ekonomiku fil-kumplament
tal-imsiehba fl-Unjoni Ewropeja, b'mod partikolari fiz-Zona Ewro, u ghalkemm
l-isforzi taghna f'Malta, pozittivi u negattivi, kif ukoll il-hegga li bihom
inwettqu ir-riformi indikati mill-Kummisjoni Ewropea, huma importanti, jibqa'
li Malta dejjem hi suggetta ghal dak li jsir fil-kumplament tal-Ewropa, b'mod
partikolari fiz-Zona Ewro, aktar minn kull pajjiz iehor fl-Unjoni Ewropea.
Il-GRTU issostni li l-Kumissjoni ma tatx piz bizejjed lil dan l-impatt u
l-Awtoritajiet Maltin kellhom jinsistu aktar biex il-Kummissjoni tkejjel sew
dan l-impatt qabel ma regghet poggiet lil Malta ghat-tielet darba taht excessive budget
procedures.

Dan ma jfissirx, issostni il-GRTU, li f'pajjizna
kulhadd qed
jifhem kemm hu importanti li naghtu kaz u b'serjeta' l-obbligi taghna
bhala
pajjiz membru shih tal-Unjoni Ewropeja u membru tal-Unjoni Ekonomika u
Monetarja. Il-politici taghna, fl-ahhar Parlament, ghamlu zball kbir
meta ma
approvawx il-Budget 2013 f'Novembru li
ghadda u il-fatt illi in-Nefqa Pubblika u it-thaddim tal-iskemi imfassla
fil-Budget 2013 wara konsultazzjoni mal-imsiehba socjali, ma setghux
jithaddmu
fl-assenza ta' Budget approvat, xekkel
mhux ftit it-tkattir ekonomiku tal-ekonomija Maltija fl-ewwel erba' xhur
ta'
din is-sena. It-tahwid politiku tal-ahhar parti tas-sena 2012 ukoll
gharraq
l-andament ekonomiku pozittiv tal-ekonomija Maltija. Il-kampanja
elettorali
twila ukoll m'ghinitx biex l-intraprizi Maltin ikomplu jaghtu s-sehem
shih
taghhom biex l-ekonomija tkompli tikber. It-tahwid poilitiku ghin ukoll
b'mod
negattiv biex ma sarux ir-riformi li kellhom isiru. Dawn issa ghad iridu
jitfasslu u jitwettqu specjalment f'settur importanti ghan-nefqa
pubblika bhal
ma hi il-kwistjoni tal-Pensjonijiet u l-kwistjoni tal-Finanzjament
tas-settur
tas-Sahha u tas-Servizzi Socjali. Dawn sfortunatament baqghu fuq
l-ixkaffa meta
kull min hu
serju kien jaf li fil-fatt kellhom ikunu indirizzati b'urgenza.

Illum pajjizna ghandu Gvern b'maggoranza qawwija.
Gvern li
jista' jdahhal ir-riformi mehtiega bi qbil mal-imsiehba socjali u
s-socjeta'
civili organizzata. Dan hu fatt li l-Kummissjoni kellha tiehdu in
konsiderazzjoni. Hu ghalhekk li l-GRTU ssostni li hu possibbli li
b'immanigjar
tal-ekonomija iktar deciziv u bl-impenn shih ta' Gvern u Oppozizzjoni,
imsiehba
socjali u socjeta' civili organizzata, li pajjizna hu kapaci jirrisolvi
il-problema ta' excessive deficit sal-ahhar tal-2014. Il-GRTU issostni
li jekk
il-Gvern jaghraf juza' sew il-hilijiet ta' kulhadd, b'mod partikolari
ta' min
hu l-aktar kapaci, irrispettivament mill-kulur politiku tal-individwi,
Malta
tista' twettaq ir-riformi mehtiega u timplimenta is-soluzzjonijiet
miftehma
biex l-2013 taghlaq b'headline
deficit target ta' 3.4% tal-GDP u il-Gvern jaghlaq is-sena 2014
b'headline deficit target ta' 2.7% tal-GDP. Il-GRTU temmen ukoll li hu
possibli li b'rieda qawwija mill-imsiehba socjali u bit-tmexxija miftuha
u
deciziva, li d-debt ratio ta' pajjizna
jersaq aktar lejn is-60% tal-GDP li hu mehtieg biex Malta tkun konformi
mal-obbligazzjonijiet taghha bhala membru fiz-zona ewro. Il-GRTU temmen
li dan
jista' jsir b'pass sodisfacenti u bla htiega ta' awsterita' zejda.

Sfortunatament, izda, il-GRTU
issostni li jekk din il-kwistjoni ma tinghatax l-attenzzjoni massima u
l-urgenza u l-prijorita' kollha li titlob, lil'hinn minn kull weghda ohra
elettorali li setghet saret, is-sitwazzjoni ta' tkattir ekonomiku fjakk u
nuqqas ta' holqien ta' xoghol tkompli tehzien fix-xhur li gejjien b'effett
negattiv akbar fuq id-deficit finanzjarju.
Id-decizjoni tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea hi decizjoni hazina u dannuza ghal Malta u
titfa lil pajjizna lura ghax twassal messagg negattiv fi zmien difficli. Hu
ghalhekk importanti li ilkoll flimkien, Gvern, Opozizzjoni, Msiehba Socjali u
Socjeta Civili, li nqumu ghall-isfida u neghlbuha.

Il-GRTU illum resqet talba b'urgenza lic-Chairman tal-MCESD
biex isejjah laqgha tal-MCESD biex ikun diskuss il-Country Specific Report dwar Malta u l-impatt ta' tqeghid ta' Malta taht
excessive deficit procedures u biex
l-imsiehba socjali jaqblu fuq pjan ta' azzjoni li jwassal biex Malta tehles
darba ghal dejjem minn sitwazzjoni fejn pajjizna diehel u hiereg taht excessive deficit procedures.

Malta Chamber of SMEs
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