The current
phase of the LIFE programme, LIFE+, comes to an end in 2013. Calls for
applications are open till 25 June 2013. Project
proposals have to be eligible for one of the programme's three strands: LIFE+
Nature and Biodiversity, LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance, and LIFE+
Information and Communication.
More information can be obtained from
http://www.lifeplus.gov.mt or by contacting
MEUSAC on
The national contact point for this
programme is the Tourism and Sustainable Development Unit.
The Xlokk
Action Group Foundation (XAGF) announces the launch of a call for applications
for Action 413.A2: Capital Investment to Support Artisanal Agricultural
Activity under Axis 4 (LEADER).
This action provides the necessary equipment
and processing methodology to the stakeholders, leading to the setting up of a
shop window. EUR 62,500 have been allocated to this call. Call opens on 6 May
and closes on 14 June at 12.00pm. Applications must be submitted by hand at
XAGF offices at 269, Main Street, Qormi.
Applications
and guidance notes may be downloaded from www.galxlokk.com.
More
information may be obtained by email ()
or phone
(20998008)
Commission acts to make bank accounts cheaper, more transparent and
accessible to all European
citizens cannot fully participate in society without a basic bank account. Bank
accounts have become an essential part of our everyday life, allowing us to
make and receive payments, shop online, and pay utility bills (telephone, gas,
electricity).
Whilst single market legislation has ensured that banks can
operate throughout the European Union and offer their services cross-border,
this mobility is not mirrored for citizens who are often unable to open an
account in another Member State or to easily switch from one bank to another.
Furthermore, consumers often pay above the odds for the services they receive
from their bank and struggle to have clarity on the various fees charged. It is
in this context that the European Commission has published its proposal for a
Directive on the transparency and comparability of payment account fees,
payment account switching and access to a basic payment account
The commerce
sector is greatly encouraged by the proposal for a directive on citizens'
payment accounts which was published by the Commission. "We see this as the
first step towards the universal provision of a low-cost electronic payment
system available to all EU citizens," said EuroCommerce Director-General,
Christian Verschueren.
"Expensive credit card payment methods still dominate in
the online payments sector. We need to open up the payments market to provide
all payment users with choice and transparent fee models in their payment
services."
Commerce
urges the Commission to take the same political line in its upcoming proposals
on the revision of the Payment Services Directive (PSD) and on a regulation on
interchange fees. Strong legislative measures are needed to allow market
participants to create competitive and innovative payment models.
Europe
needs to establish a strong e-commerce and e-payments market, both domestic and
cross-border, which is easily accessible by Europe's consumers and businesses,
especially SMEs. One of the pre-requisites for this is the availability of
secure, simple and low-cost electronic payment methods, using harmonised
standards under the framework of SEPA. To achieve this, the forthcoming
legislation must tackle two issues:
The PSD must be revised to allow new providers to enter the
market and offer payment services. The competition thus created would open up
the market to innovative payment models and result in price reductions. The
retail sector also believes that a switch from card-based electronic payments
to those which use simple credit transfer models would be more secure and
would, therefore, go a long way to tackling the problems of fraud associated
with card payments over the internet.
The interchange fee: the single greatest barrier to new payment
models and to the growth of retail and e-commerce is the current interchange
fee system. We call on the Commission to issue a strong regulation to remedy
this problem. Removing the interchange barrier is a fundamental step towards
establishing a modern Europe-wide electronic payments market, which provides
real financial inclusion and makes full use of the new technologies and payment
options.
The project Healthy Mind for Healthy Business was presented
within the Operational Programme II Operational Programme II: Empowering People
for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life, under the Cohesion Policy
2007-2013. The project is part-financed
by the European Union from the European Social Fund (ESF).
The project consists primarily of raising awareness on
mental health issues in the workplace.
Its activities focus on enterprises and employees, and are intended to
generate positive attitudes towards mental health as an essential prerequisite
for employee well-being and personal development, but also for the success of
businesses themselves.
Richmond Foundation is the applicant and coordinating
partner of the project. Other partners
include the Malta Employers Association, Malta Chamber Foundation, Gozo
Business Chamber, GRTU Malta Chamber of SMEs, as well as the Occupational
Health and Safety Authority. The
partners bring into the project a wealth of experience and expertise in their
respective areas of operation.
The project includes a research component, in which a
number of audits will be conducted among enterprises which will analyse the
working environment and any current policies in place. The project activities and results will also
be monitored and evaluated throughout the project. Towards the end of the project, a second
audit will assess the effectiveness of the activities in sensitising
enterprises to mental health issues and the need for policies to deal with
them.
The project will attempt to improve the working environment
of enterprises that do not have a mental health policy in place. It will produce guidelines for enterprises on
how they can go about formulating and implementing effective mental health
strategies, and will encourage businesses to participate in the training
sessions that will offered as part of the project's training component.
By engaging in targeted capacity building initiatives, the
project seeks to foster a supportive culture that will equip organisations with
the necessary tools to enable them to increase their knowledge on mental health
problems in their workplace. An
Empowerment Programme, dealing with the development of a mental health policy
at the workplace, will be delivered by Richmond trainers to people in key
positions. Further training will be
provided to Richmond personnel on how to run and manage the helpline for
enterprises.
The activities and results of the project will be
communicated to stakeholders and the general public using a mix of different
media, including printed material, billboards, and electronic media. The project will make full use of online
communication channels such as social networking sites and email.
The experience gained during implementation of the activities
will lead up to the formulation of specific policy recommendations. These will be presented during a final
conference, which will also provide a forum where the findings and results of
the interventions will be critically analysed and discussed. The recommendations of the final conference
will be included in the final report, which will be published and will be
presented to a number of stakeholders and policy-makers working in the mental
health sector.
Tender No. HM/01: Provision of Research, Procedures Manual, Monitoring and
Policy Recommendations for the Project Healthy Mind for Healthy Business (ESF
3.193) includes services in connection with the research component, in which a
number of audits will be conducted among enterprises in order to analyse the
working environment and any current policies in place. The service also includes monitoring of the
project results, as well as recommendations for enterprises and policy makers.
Tender No. HM/02: Provision of Awareness Raising Campaign for the Project:
Healthy Mind for Healthy Business (ESF 3.193) includes services in connection
with the communication and dissemination component of the project.
Both tender documents may be downloaded from the Richmond
Foundation website: http://www.richmond.org.mt/healthymind?l=1
The project will run from the first
quarter of 2013 until the end of 2014.
GRTU, as host
of a Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC,) together with the European
Commission Representation in Malta inaugurated the new Europe Direct Valletta's
office. Paul Abela, GRTU President,
opened the event by stating how honoured the GRTU is to host this office and
thanked the Commission for this opportunity.
He referred to the last
citizenship survey conducted by the EU, where 76% of the Maltese said they feel
European, 53% said they feel they are aware of their rights as EU citizens, and
75% stated they would like to know more about such rights. These figures are all above
the EU average. Mr Abela said that communicating Europe is something the GRTU
has been doing for a long time with enterprises and now, with the new office,
it will be targeting the citizen in general. He reminded, however, that within
enterprises there are still citizens, consumers, workers and families.
A presentation on Europe Direct
Valletta was delivered by Abigail Psaila Mamo, who is responsible for the
office. There are 500 centers for 500 million citizens across the whole of the
EU. Malta has 3 offices and these offices are funded by the European Commission
as part of its efforts to be closer to citizens, inform citizens directly on
what the EU is doing, and to gather feedback from citizens. Among the services
offered by Europe Direct Valletta, which are all free of charge, there is a
dedicated area equipped with IT facilities and internet access, a website that
is user-friendly, and appealing, a Facebook page, a newsletter, and space where
activities can be held.
GRTU's Director General, Vincent
Farrugia, said that GRTU's work on the EU is already very intensive and thanks
to its membership on the EESC, it also represents and communicates to the
Maltese directly. He said that another recent opportunity included GRTU's
direct lobbying on the Framework Agreement on Youth Employment at European
level.
Mr Martin Bugelli, Head of the
European Commission Representation in Malta, said that rights are meaningful
only when citizens are informed about them and when access to such information
is ensured. He pointed out that the EDICs were chosen not only on the
basis of geographic coverage but also according to the nature of the audience
the host organisations reach. Recently, a Europe Direct Information Centre was
launched in Gozo, and another is expected to be launched shortly in Malta's
central region. He said he was convinced that the team at GRTU has the will and
the capabilities to deliver on its task as a Europe Direct Centre. Mr Bugelli
also mentioned that this is the European Year of Citizens and referred to the
coordinated initiatives being undertaken by the European Commission
Representation, together with the European Parliament Information Office and
MEUSAC.
The Government
has been in action for two months. Malta has proved what a healthy and mature
democracy we are. The change of Government came and hardly anybody noticed. The
notice that the business community wanted to see has unfortunately also not
happened. We want a change in the business climate, in the business
performance.
GRTU is
meeting Ministers individually and is presenting to each Minister a dossier
with a package of proposals for immediate action. Business is dynamic. It is
positive action that GRTU is requesting.
Among
the priority demands of GRTU:
– Reduction of Bank interest on business loans and reduction of
excessive bank charges. The supernormal profit banks are making is simply not
reflective of the state of business in general
– Reduction on excessive charges imposed on credit cards to retailers
on services provided by business for onward transactions to consumers
– Reduction of Water and Electricity charges to businesses. It is
unacceptable that Enemalta and Water Corporation continue to enjoy
anti-competitive discriminatory, high charges on commercial entities. This is
cross-subsidization which is not acceptable under EU Rules.
– Reduction of MFSA charges. Some years back a joke of an exercise
was conducted by MFSA to reduce charges on businesses. All business owners of
micro and small firms know that MFSA charges are excessive and a burden that is
grossly unjust.
– Reduction of Port Charges in spite of all the exercises done by the
ex-Maritime
Authority and Transport Malta port charges at the Maltese ports still remain
too high. Malta transport has completely failed to make any difference.
– Reduction
in the abuse of illicit trading of goods to Malta from European Ports. GRTU
wished for the same rules in other EU ports to apply in Malta. The truth is
that the law is the same as in States where Guardia di Finanza takes
enforcement action to ensure compliance. In Malta however abuse is so rampant
that today a high ratio of trade is actually illicit and tax avoiding while the
authorities turn a blind eye.
– Reduction
in communication charges to business by the communication service providers.
Businesses pay Maltese providers Go, Vodafone, Melita, etc… excessive charges
compared to their competitors in the rest of the EU. MCA needs now to wake up
and act.
The list is
longer, but these are issues that our members want to see settled now that most
posts are revamped with new blood.
Wholesale
and retail trade businesses accounted for 19.3 % of the total registered
business units in 2012. In
2012, registered business units amounted to 70,782, an increase of 2.1 %, or
1,461, over the amount recorded in 2011. Business units are predominantly
solely owned or in partnership. These amounted to 42,035 registered units and
accounted for 59.4 % of the total.
Limited
liability companies represented 37.3 % of all units, a 4.9 % increase when
compared to 2011. By economic activity, the number of business
units
in wholesale and retail trade, except that of motor vehicles (NACE divisions 46
and 47 combined), amounted to 19.3 % of all business units, up by 2.0 % from
2011.
Furthermore,
registered business units in crop and animal production, specialized
construction activities, food and beverage service activities and activities of
head offices; management consultancy activities amounted to 4.5, 5.5, 4.4 and
4.6 % respectively of the total registered units in 2012.
By
size class, 97.1 % of business units employ fewer than 10 persons and are
considered micro. On the other hand, only 83 enterprises in Malta employ more
than 250 persons and are classified as large.
The structure of the EU – The
structure of the European Union does not fall into any traditional legal
category. It is historically unique, and its decision-making system has been
constantly evolving for the past 60 years.
The
Treaties are the basis for the regulations, directives and recommendations
which have direct impact on the daily lives of EU citizens. These laws are the
result of decisions taken by the Council (representing national Governments),
the European Parliament (representing the people) and the European Commission (a
body independent of EU Governments that upholds the collective European
interest).
The European Council:
It
is the EU's top political intuition. It consists of the Heads of State or
Government of all the EU member countries, plus the President of the European
Commission. It normally meets four times a year, in Brussels. It has a
permanent President who is elected for a period of two and a half years and can
be re-elected once.
The
European Council fixes the EU's goals and sets the course for achieving them.
It provides the impetus for the EU's main policy initiatives. Besides, it
tackles current international problems via the "common foreign and security
policy".
The Council:
It
is also known as the Council of Ministers and is made up of ministers from the
EU's national governments. The member states take it in turns to hold the
Council Presidency for a six-month period. Every Council meeting is attended by
one minister, depending on the topic on the agenda, from each EU country.
The
Council's main job is to pass EU laws, a responsibility shared with the
Parliament, as is the adoption of the EU budget. The Council has to agree
unanimously on important questions such as taxation, amending the Treaties or
allowing a new country to join the Union. In most other cases, qualified
majority voting is used (if a specified number of votes are cast in favour).
The European Parliament (EP):
It
is the elected body that represents the EU's citizens and for which members are
elected every five years. The major debates are held in the monthly Plenary
Sessions in Strasbourg and sometimes even in Brussels. Its main Secretariat is
however based in Luxembourg and Brussels.
The
EP takes part in the legislative work of the EU in two ways:
–
Via co-decision, which is the ordinary legislative procedure. The EP shares
equal responsibility with the Council for legislating in all policy areas that
require a "qualified majority" vote in the Council.
–
Via the "assent" procedure, the EP must ratify the EU's international
agreements.
The
EP shares with the Council equal responsibility for adopting the EU Budget
(proposed by the Commission). It can reject the proposed Budget as it has done
on several occasions. The EP can also reject or approve the European Council's
nominee for the post of Commission President. The EP also interviews each
proposed member of the Commission before voting on whether to approve the new
Commission as a whole. The EP also supervises the day-to-day management of EU
policies by putting oral and written questions to the Commission and the
Council.
The European Commission:
The
EC alone has the right to draw up proposals for new EU legislation, which it
sends to the Council and Parliament for discussion and adoption.
The
Commission consists of a Commissioner per member state (27), chosen from among
the leading personalities of the member state. The members are appointed for a
five-year term.
The
EC enjoys a substantial degree of independence in exercising its power. It
represents and defends the interests of the EU as a whole. As "Guardian of the
Treaties", it has to ensure that the regulations and directives adopted by the
Council and Parliament are being implemented in the member states.
The Court of Justice:
It
is located in Luxembourg, is made up of one judge from each EU country,
assisted by eight advocates-general. The Court's role
is to ensure that Eu law is complied with and that the Treaties are correctly
interpreted and applied.
The European Central Bank
It
is located in Frankfurt and is responsible for managing the euro and the EU's
monetary policy. Its main task is to maintain price stability in the euro area.
The Court of Auditors
It
is located in Luxembourg, was established in 1975. It has one member from each
EU country. It checks that all the European Union's revenue has been received
and all is expenditure incurred in a lawful and regular manner and that the EU
budget has been managed soundly.
The European Economic and Social Committee
(EESC):
The
Council and Commission consult the EESC. Its members represent the various
economic and social interest groups that collectively make up ‘organised civil
society', and are appointed by the Council for a five-year term.
The Committee of the Regions (COR):
The
COR consists of representatives of regional and local government proposed by
the member states and appointed by the Council for a five-year term. The
Council and Commission must consult the CoR on matters of relevance to the
regions, and it may also issue opinions on its own initiative.
The European Investment Bank (EIB):
The
EIB, based in Luxembourg, provides loans and guarantees to help the EU's less
developed regions and to help make businesses more competitive.
21 228 843
GRTU, Exchange Building, Republic Street,
Valletta
