Author: SME Chamber

The international press reports
that the EU is to restrict the use of three pesticides for up to two years amid
fears they cause serious harm to bees. Divided EU governments failed to come to a
clear decision at a meeting yesterday, leaving it up to the European commission
to take action, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It says the move comes after scientists
suggested that neonicotinoid pesticides, which are widely used in the EU, pose
a "high acute risk" to bees.

The Telegraph points out that Brussels
"overruled British opposition" to the ban and claims the new rules
subject farmers to tight restrictions.

According to the paper, the ban could cost
Europe's farmers more than €2bn and lead to 20 per cent losses of key crop
yields.

Health and consumer commissioner Tonio Borg is
quoted as saying, "Since our proposal is based on a number of risks to bee
health, the commission will go ahead in the coming weeks.

He added, "I pledge to do my utmost to
ensure that our bees, which are so vital to our ecosystem and contribute over
€22bn annually to European agriculture, are protected."

The Guardian says that the suspension is a
landmark victory for environmental campaigners and represents a serious setback
for chemical producers who are set to lose billions yearly.

A statement from Syngenta, which makes one of
the three neonicotinoids, said, "The proposal ignores a wealth of evidence
from the field that these pesticides do not damage the health of bees."

The company called on the commission to focus
on addressing "the real reasons for bee health decline: disease, viruses
and loss of habitat".

The FT reports that the ban, believed to be the
first continent-wide moratorium on neonicotinoids, will take effect from 1
December unless any new scientific evidence emerges.

Workshop
1:  Innovation
in business – Topic: Innovation is the
development of new values through solutions that meet new requirements;  it differs from invention in that innovation
refers to the use of a better and, as a result, novel idea or method, whereas
invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method
itself.   Innovation also differs from
improvement in that innovation refers to the notion of doing something
different rather than doing the same thing better.

Date:               17th April

Time:               3pm to 4pm

Speaker: Ing David Dingli,
Resource Productivity Consulting Services

Workshop
2: Family Businesses: Developing Governance for
Successful Transitions

Date:               17th April

Time:               4pm to 5pm

Speaker: Mr. Mario Duca, Family
Business Consultant and Chairman of the Malta Association of Family Enterprises

Topic: While many family owned
businesses have a long-term objective of "passing the business on to the next
generation", in reality, only about 30% of family owned businesses successfully
transfer to the second generation. Furthermore, only about 15% make it to the
third generation,  and only about 5% make
it to the fourth generation. Why are so many family businesses unsuccessful at
making the transition to the next generation? 
Possible underlying reasons will be discussed at this workshop.

Workshop
3: Procurement Opportunities in the World Bank

Date:      18th April

Time:    3pm to 4pm

Speaker: Mr. Gilles Garcia,
Enterprise Outreach Services, World Bank

Topic: Mr Garcia from the Paris
office of the World Bank will be visiting Malta to generate further awareness
about the business opportunities available to SMEs who wish to offer their
products and services to the World Bank agencies.

Workshop
4: B2B Social networking: 9 Ways to Boost Relationships,
Opportunities and Your Bottom Line

Date:               18th April

Time:               4pm to 5pm

Speaker: Ms. Heather Cooper,
Social Media Strategist, Integratesocial.com

Topic: According to a recent
report from the Content Marketing Institute, 87% of B2B marketers now spread
their message through social media. However, less than half of those
organizations are seeing their efforts pay off. Are you one of these?  In this session, we introduce you to several
tactics and techniques that you can implement today to begin seeing real
results tomorrow.

All sessions will be held at the Radisson
Blu Hotel, St Julians, but you need to register:

The Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) in
collaboration with the Malta Lotteries & Gaming Authority (LGA) will be
organising a consultation session on a Communication from the European
Commission entitled ‘Towards a comprehensive European framework for online
gambling.'

This consultation will mainly focus on giving a
clearer insight on the online gaming industry which is so relevant to Malta and
the EU in general. It will also focus on several priority areas needed to
address the challenges in the EU namely:

– ensuring compliance of national regulatory
frameworks with EU law;

– enhancing administrative cooperation and
efficient enforcement;

– protecting consumers and citizens, minors and
vulnerable groups;

– preventing fraud and money laundering; and

– safeguarding the integrity of sports and
preventing match-fixing.

Please
register for this session at:

Proceedings
will be held in English.

Responding
to a drop in euro zone inflation well below its target level and rising
unemployment, the ECB lowered its main rate by a quarter percentage point to a
record low 0.50 percent. ECB
President Mario Draghi, promising to provide as much liquidity as euro zone
banks need well into next year and to help smaller companies get access to
credit, also indicated that some policymakers had pushed for a bigger cut.

The
ECB was also "technically ready" to cut its deposit rate from the
current zero percent into negative territory, meaning it would start charging
banks for holding their money overnight.

Such
a move could encourage the banks to lend out money rather than hold it at the
ECB, though it would also probably have a big impact on banks' own operations and
major implications for funding and bond markets.                 

Draghi said the ECB could cope with these –
a departure from his previous statements." There are several unintended
consequences that may stem from this measure," he said of a negative
deposit rate. "We will address and cope with these consequences if we
decide to act. And we will again look at this with an open mind and we stand
ready to act if needed. Thursday's cut in the main rate had been widely
expected after Draghi said last month that the ECB stood ready to act, but few
economists expect it to make a decisive difference.

Acknowledging
that, the ECB said it would prime banks with as much liquidity as they need
until at least July 2014 and look at ways to boost lending to smaller
companies, which are the lifeblood of Europe's economies but have been starved
of credit in many countries.

SMALL COMPANIES, BIG PROBLEM

The
ECB wants to improve the transmission of its monetary policy so its low rates
reach all corners of the euro zone.

The
bloc's south is not benefiting to the same extent as the north from the
ultra-low rates. If they are lending at all, banks there are charging companies
and households more for loans than their peers in the north because of higher
funding costs and credit risks.

The
ECB has repeatedly voiced its concern about the impact this has on lending to
small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have little alternative to
bank funding. The ECB wants to revive an asset class that has widely been blamed
for causing the financial crisis – asset-backed securities (ABS).

This
asset class allows banks to pass at least some of the credit risk on to other
investors as they try to boost their capital and liquidity buffers to adapt to
new regulatory standards – one reason for their reluctance to lend.

"The
Governing Council decided to start consultations with other European
institutions on initiatives to promote a functioning market for asset-backed
securities," Draghi said, adding that no decisions had been taken.

Berenberg
Bank's Holger Schmieding said that if other institutions, such as the European
Investment Bank, helped promote an ABS market for SME loans, the ECB could
eventually pave a way to some quantitative easing.

The
ECB could accept such packaged loans as collateral at its liquidity operations,
or even buy them outright, he said.

"If
so, this would extend the ECB's toolbox and could potentially open the way for
a little 'quantitative easing' by the ECB later on," Schmieding added.

Fitch
Ratings 2013 says that Andorra, Luxembourg and Malta are all small European
countries with large banking systems but that is where their similarity to
Cyprus ends. These
countries not only have healthier banks and stronger sovereigns than Cyprus but
the structure of their banking sector means they are less vulnerable to a
destabilising withdrawal of non-resident deposits and losses from foreign
exposures.            

Andorra's
domestic and total banking sectors at over 5x GDP are too big for sovereign
support to be relied upon given the authorities' limited resources. However,
the large size of the domestic banks stems from their international private
banking franchises rather than credit expansion and has been supported by
comfortable liquidity and strong capital levels. Therefore we do not anticipate
sovereign support being called upon.

The
domestic banks in Andorra, Luxembourg and Malta are currently stronger than
those of Cyprus before the bail-out. Their Viability Ratings are almost all
investment grade, whereas in Cyprus the bank systemic indicator has been
speculative grade since 2011.

The
domestic banks in these countries have lower reliance on non-resident deposit
funding compared to the Cypriot banking sector where foreign deposits fuelled
rapid asset growth. Where there are foreign deposits, these are usually linked
to the banks' investment funds or private banking operations. Asset quality
indicators for these banks also appear adequate despite some deterioration and
their more limited exposure to foreign securities and loans reduces the risk of
losses arising from the eurozone sovereign crisis.

Qala
Primary School is this year's winner of Green Mt's School Recycling Campaign.
Qala Primary School with 123 students managed a collection of 18920 kilos ,
thus a contribution of 153 kg per capita over a period of eight weeks. Gozo
stood out in this year's competition as second and third places were also
schools from Gozo.

Thirty
four Schools and Colleges in Malta contributed an additional 44, 123 kilos of
recyclables to this yearly event. Thus a total of 104, 523 kilos of recyclables
were recovered in this year's School Recycling Campaign, Reduce Reuse Recycle.

It
was amazing to see the support of parents and the community at large working together
with the students to win this competition. The amount recovered this year is
40tons more than last year. Green Mt would like to thank all participating
schools, and all those who were part of this Campaign including Heads of
Schools, students and parents who supported this initiative.

Green
Mt would also like to thank the team behind this event, singer Kristina
Casolani, Zoo Media team, Eco Councilors Romina Schembri and last but
definitely not least the two contractors, Aaron Cordina in Malta and Godfrey
Borg in Gozo, supported by the Green Mt back office staff who were very helpful
in making sure that timely collections were made as planned.

A big well done to all!

Ghall-GRTU
il-holqien tax-xoghol u s-support tal-intraprizi Maltin, li 98% minnhom huma
micro u small, biex dawn jibqghu jhaddmu u jahdmu, ghandu jibqa' l-ewwel
prijorita' fuq l-Agenda tal-Gvern.

L-In-Depth
Review li ppubblikat l-Kummissjoni Ewropeja dan ix-xahar dwar l-izbilanci
macro-ekonomici ta' numru ta' pajjizi membri tal-Unjoni Ewropeja, hu tajjeb
ghall-Malta ghax pajjizna mhux ikklassifikat ma' dawk il-pajjizi Ewropej li
ghandhom problemi serji u hu konfortanti in vista ghal kummenti negattivi li
kienu intqalu dwar Malta. Imma xorta wahda dan ir-Review jenfasizza
l-importanza tas-sostenibilita' tal-finanzi ta' pajjizna minhabba ir-riskji
serji li pajjizna ghandu kawza ta' popolazzjoni li qed tikber fl-eta' u il-piz
qawwi ta' pizijiet finanzjarji li jiffaccja pajjizna. Il-Gvern ghalhekk ghandu
jimxi bi prijorita' fuq dak li hu l-aktar importanti. U ghall-GRTU top of the list jibqa'
x-xoghol.F'dan il-kuntest ghalhekk il-GRTU tibqa' ssostni li l-Gvern ghandu
jzomm bhala prijorita' gholja li l-izbilanci macro-ekonomici jkunu mharrsa u
jitfassal pjan serju  bil-ko-operazzjoni
mal-imsiehba socjali halli dawn l-izbilanci ma jkomplux jitwessghu u jduru
minflok f'bilanci pozittivi. Il-qofol ghandu jibqa' s-sostenn tal-prodotturi
diretti ta' prodotti u servizzi u is-sostenn lill-intraprizi iz-zghar. Il-GRTU
temmen li m'hawnx soluzzjonijiet facli u xejn ma jsir wahdu. Ix-Xoghol jinholoq
mill-intrapriza u l-holqien tax-xoghol bhala prijorita' assoluta jfisser
sostenn serju lill-intrapriza zghira privata. Sostenn bil-fatti u mhux biss
weghdi.

Id-decizjonijiet
minn naha tal-Awtoritajiet iridu jittiehdu bla telf ta' zmien jekk il-qghad
irid jitrazzan u mhux jizdied.

Iz-zmien
tal-kliem u suggerimenti ghadda. Issa, qabel ikun tard wisq, irridu azzjoni.

Fil-Laqgha
tal-MCESD tal-lum fejn saret diskussjoni dettaljata fuq is-servizzi disponibbli
ghall-finanzjament ta' progetti ta' intraprizi Maltin, il-President tal-GRTU,
Paul Abela, ghamel appell qawwi lill-Banek Kummercjali Maltin biex bla telf ta'
zmien inaqqsu ir-rati ta' interessi li l-banek Maltin jimponu fuq self lill-intraprizi
Maltin.

"Ghal
darb' ohra il-Bank Centrali Ewropew qed inaqqas ir-rati ta' interessi biex
l-Ewropa tkun tista tqum fuq saqajha u tikkumbati il-qghad bis-sahha ta'
espansjoni ekonomika iggenerata minn self gdid, f'Malta izda jitnaqqsu kemm
jitnaqqsu l-interessi fuq is-self fil-kumplament taz-Zona Ewro qisu li
ghan-negozji zghar Maltin ma jsir xejn. Is-Sanction
Letters kollha li l-banek kummercjali Maltin johorgu lill-intrapriza
Maltija qatt ma jkunu b'rata ta' intressi ta' anqas minn 6% meta ir-rata
tal-imghax fuq id-depoziti tal-Maltin fil-banek hi mizera. Mhux ta' b'xejn li
l-banek Maltin jiddikjaraw tant profitti." Insista Paul Abela.

"Jien
miniex nghid li l-banek ghandhom jiddajfu izda mhux sewwa li l-banek ihallu
tant depoziti kbar bla qliegh fil-Bank Centrali imbghad jaghmlu il-profitti
taghhom minn fuq l-intraprizi li jhaddmu in-nies u jikrejaw il-gid billi
jimponu fuqhom rati ta' interessi li huma ezorbitanti. L-intraprizi z-zghar
iridu jikkompetu ghal kreditu tal-banek mal-izviluppaturi u progetti kbar, ghax
ghal snin twal ikun aktar komdu ghal banek li jisilfu somom kbar lill-izviluppaturi
u progetti tal-izvilupp bit-tama li l-banek jaqilghu hafna fuq self kbir milli
jifirxu flushom fuq negozji zghar fejn il-qliegh ikun inqas jekk ma jimponux rati
ta' interessi gholjin kif fil-fatt jaghmlu" kompla Paul Abela.

Il-President
tal-GRTU appella lill-Malta Financial
Services Authority (MFSA) u lill-Bank Centrali ta' Malta li bejniethom huma
responsabbli li jizguraw li l-intrapriza Maltija tkun moghqdija b'finanzjament u
bi prezz gust, biex jizguraw li din is-sitwazzjoni tittranga u appella ukoll
lill-MCCAA li ghandha responsabbilta' ghal kompetizzjoni gusta, biex tara li
l-banek dominanti Maltin m'humiex jabbuzaw mill-pozizzjoni dominianti taghhom
fis-suq. Il-President tal-GRTU appella ukoll lill-Gvern biex jizgura li r-Regulaturi
Pubblici jaraw li jsir kull sforz biex ir-rati tal-interessi fuq is-self
lin-negozji Maltin jitbaxxew.

"It-tkattir
ekonomiku ma jigix wahdu. Mhux bizejjed li s-sidien tal-intraprizi Maltin
jinvestu u jhaddmu l-bicca l-kbira tal-Maltin, dawn iridu mill-Banek u hafna
drabi l-imprendituri zghar Maltin qed li flok li jahdmu ghalihom infushom, huma
qeghdin fil-fatt jahdmu ghal banek" ikkonkluda Paul Abela President tal-GRTU fl-MCESD.

Ghall-GRTU
il-holqien tax-xoghol u s-support tal-intraprizi Maltin, li 98% minnhom huma micro
u small, biex dawn jibqghu jhaddmu u jahdmu, ghandu jibqa' l-ewwel prijorita'
fuq l-Agenda tal-Gvern.

F'dan il-kuntest
ghalhekk il-GRTU tibqa' ssostni li l-Gvern ghandu jzomm bhala prijorita' gholja
li l-izbilanci macro-ekonomici jkunu mharrsa u jitfassal pjan serju  bil-ko-operazzjoni mal-imsiehba socjali halli
dawn l-izbilanci ma jkomplux jitwessghu u jduru minflok f'bilanci pozittivi.
Il-qofol ghandu jibqa' s-sostenn tal-prodotturi diretti ta' prodotti u servizzi
u is-sostenn lill-intraprizi iz-zghar. Il-GRTU temmen li m'hawnx soluzzjonijiet
facli u xejn ma jsir wahdu. Ix-Xoghol jinholoq mill-intrapriza u l-holqien
tax-xoghol bhala prijorita' assoluta jfisser sostenn serju lill-intrapriza
zghira privata. Sostenn bil-fatti u mhux biss weghdi.

Id-decizjonijiet minn
naha tal-Awtoritajiet iridu jittiehdu bla telf ta' zmien jekk il-qghad irid
jitrazzan u mhux jizdied.

Iz-zmien tal-kliem u
suggerimenti ghadda. Issa, qabel ikun tard wisq, irridu azzjoni.