Author: SME Chamber

Within the framework of their current EU social partner work programme, UEAPME, BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP and ETUC held a joint conference this week on promoting active ageing through lifelong learning. GRTU President Paul Abela participated at this important conference entitled European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing-From Plan to Action.

During the event the participants were given an opportunity to share their experiences and explain the different initiatives in their own countries. Three objectives were identified that required focus for the successful adoption of an action plan for Active Ageing and Solidarity between generations: Action at legislative level, Improve living and working conditions and Make education and training systems more effective.

Paul Abela stated that Malta is already well on track targeting all three objectives, they are well embedded in our national programme. Unlike some countries, Mr Abela was pleased to inform that in Malta individuals working after pensionable age do not lose their pension benefits. He also said that a phenomenon is developing whereby those that have been employed all their life before going into pension decide to leap into business while those that have been in business all their life decide to take it a bit more easy before pension and find a stable employment. He said this was an interesting phenomenon that should be followed.

A number of good practices were presented amongst which that from France, the Generation Contract, whereby employers are incentivized though a grant to employ an individual in or near pensionable age with an younger individual. GRTU’s President emphasized however that the competitiveness and sustainability of a company cannot be jeopradised

UEPME Social Affairs Adviser Helen Hoffmann chaired the session on “Anticipating the skills needs and adapting the skills of older workers”. For Crafts and SMEs, external support coming from their business organisations or Public Employment Service can be a useful means for tailor-made training of older workers as presented by an Austrian case. In the final round table, UEAPME Social Affairs Director Liliane Volozinskis stressed the need for adapting to an ageing workforce through a lifecycle approach, delivering relevant continuous training and mobilising funding in a cost-effective way, as well as broader policies on fostering health promotion, flexible working arrangements and adequate policy frameworks. She also insisted on return of investment for employers.

A GRTU delegation led by GRTU President
Paul Abela and Carlo Cini, the President Petrol Station owners Committee,
Committee Secretary John Meli and Legal Advisor Dr Jan Karl Farrugia have this
week met Hon Konrad Mizzi, Minister for Energy and the Conservation of Water in
a cordial meeting requested by GRTU to discuss important issues concerning
Petrol Stations.

Henri Malosse is kicking off a 2½-year tenure
as head of the EU institution representing civil society. With the public
increasingly at a loss to understand decisions taken by the European Union, the
new president is determined to make the EESC once again a force to be reckoned
with in the European debate. This is a priority, he believes, given the crisis
Europe is now facing.

As he takes up office as the EESC's
thirtieth president, Henri Malosse is keenly aware of the disconnect between
Europe and its citizens. "It is the role of the Committee, on behalf of
the various interests that make up our society, to engage with the other
institutions on their strategies and hold them to account. The public will only
be able to put their trust in us again if we do this." Henri Malosse, EESC
president.

Malosse is a great friend of Malta. As
President of the Employer's group he visited Malta several times and held close
relationship with the Maltese Employers Representatives especially with GRTU
Director General who for the last two and a half years was member of the
employers bureau. GRTU was also particularly happy with the appointment of Jane
Morris as EESC Vice-President. Jane is another friend of Malta at EESC. She has
close family members residing in Malta and considers herself also as part of
Malta, though Irish.

GRTU has successfully launched the
PVPFS scheme through a press conference and an information session. The scheme
already has around 15 applications and 5 certified installers. Following the
launch GRTU has received numerous queries coming in both from retailers and
households enquiring about the scheme. The latter who all seemed very
enthusiastic about the scheme, have been directed to the GRTU website where
they may find a list of certified retailers.

The scheme, which GRTU has tailored
with Bank of Valletta, ensures that more households can install a PV system.
This is possible because it makes PV systems more affordable and easier to
finance by paying through instalments spread over three years, minimising the
burden of interest which is heavily subsidized by the bank, the rest being
financed by the retailers themselves. This ensures that at no time are the
clients being asked to fork out any substantial amount of money for their PV
system, and in most cases the electricity generated is equal to or exceeds the
monthly payment requested by the bank.

If calculated on an average system
that would cost around €5,000, the application of the PVPFS would mean that the
client shall have no upfront payments or deposits to make and instead start
paying the bank a monthly fee of €75 for 3 years, which works out to the exact
same amount if they did not use the PVPFS scheme. In addition to this the
client will save circa €82.81 from the electricity bill  per month.

Apart from making no upfront
payments, during the first three years in most cases the client will already be
making a profit. When deducting the €75 monthly payment to the bank from the
€82.81 electricity saving, not only will the system be paying itself but the
client would be earning an extra €7.81 per month. For the following 3 years the
client is guaranteed the same €0.22c feed in tariff, totalling around €993 per
year. Systems are typically guaranteed for 20 years and some PV systems in
Malta which have been installed around 30 years ago, still work.

Retailers
already having a GRTU approved certificate:

At the time of release of the
newsletter discussions between GRTU and the Hon. Minister for Energy and
Conservation of Aater,  Dr Konrad Mizzi, were still on-going. Due to the
importance of the results of the meeting and the impact these have on the
sector a specific communication will be sent directly to GRTU Members operators
in the sector outlining the results of the meeting.

During the meeting GRTU will discuss
the launch date of the next PV scheme, the feed in tariff, large scale
proposals that may be split between all GRTU approved installers, and a request
for meeting between the sector, the minister and MRA. GRTU will also be
proposing an information campaign on how to make the right decisions when
installing a PV system.

GRTU will enquire about the status of
the solar water heaters grant scheme which was suspended late last year and the
claims raised by several retailers outlining irregularities creating an
un-level playing field .

Il-GRTU illum kellha laqgha
mall-iSpeaker, l-Onorevoli Anglu Farrugia fejn it-tmexxija tal-GRTU pprezentat
lill-President tal-Parlament Malti, Dossier intitolat Making Business Grow. Dan hu dokument li l-GRTU qed titlob
lill-Parlament Malti jiehu konjizzjoni tieghu fit-tfassil tal-Ligijiet b'emfazi
ekonomika u socjali.

Il-President tal-Parlament l-iSpeaker
Dr Anglu Farrugia spjega li huwa jixtieq jkun President attiv u li jressaq
dejjem aktar lil Parlament lejn l-poplu in generali u b'mod partiklari lejn
l-imsiehba socjali u s-socjeta civili organizzata. Id-Direttur Generali
tal-GRTU spjega li l-GRTU tixtieq tara t-twaqqif ta' Petitions Committee fil-Parlament Malti li jahdem fuq l-istess
linji tal-Parlament Ewropew. Id-Direttur Generali semma li bhala kwistjoni
mmedjata li l-GRTU tixtieq tressaq hi dik dwar l-Ligi tal-Kera fejn iz-zewg
nahat ta' l-ahhar Parlament kienu ghagglu ghaddew Ligi bi ftehim bejniethom li
wegghet b'mod qawwi lil eluf ta' sidien ta' negozji Maltin. Din hi Ligi li
ghaddiet minghajr ma tkejjel l-impatt ekonomiku attiv fuq dawn is-sidien li
l-bicca l-kbira minnhom huma zghar.

Il-Parlament ma ta' l-ebda
konsiderazzjoni ta' protezzjoni permanenti lil sidien ta' negozzji zghar biex
dawn ifendu ghar rashom minghajr tgheddida ta' zgumbrament fi zmien li jkunu
ghadhom ma koprewx l-investiment li jkunu ghamlu fi proprjeta mikrija minghand
haddiehor.

Il-President tal-Parlament Dr Anglu
Farrugia spjega li huwa ser jirsisti biex l-Kumitat Socjali tal-Kamra jidhol
f'aktar kwistjonijiet li jolqtu aktar lis-sidien iz-zghar. Il-President tal-Parlament
qal ukoll li huwa ser jaghti s-sehem shih tieghu biex jitwaqqaf il-Kumitat
Parlamentari ghall-Affarijiet Ekonomici u Finanzjarji.

Il-GRTU qablet ma dan is-suggeriment u
semmiet b'mod partikolari l-kwistjoni serja tax-Shadow Economy li llum
f'pajjizna qeghda tikber u mhux tickien miz-zewg lati partikolari;

l-ewwelnett, haddiema li minhabba numru
ta' rigiditajjiet fis-sistema tal-assistenza socjali qeghdin isibu ruhhom li
jkollhom jahdmu minghajr ma jiddikjaraw d-dhul taghhom

it-tieni, li hi l-akbar nkwiet
ghall-imsiehba tal-GRTU, in-numru li dejjem jikber ta' operaturi, Maltin u
barranin li qed jimpurtaw iqassmu u jbieghu,  jghamlu xoghlijiet diversi
ta' tiswijiet, kostruzzjoni, u sub
contracting ohra bla ma jiddikjaraw id-dhul u jhallsu kontribuzzjonijiet
socjali u taxxi ohra.

l-istatistika qed turi li l-expenditure side tal-GDP juri volumm
ta' infieq akbar min dak li hu dikjarat fir-revenue side tal-kejl tal-GDP. Il-verita hi, ssostni l-GRTU li
hemm volumm ta' infieq, li fih innifsu hu tajjeb ghall-ekonomija izda, hu hazin
ghax huwa l-frott ta' kompetizzjoni ngusta ta' individwi li qed jaqilghu b'mod
ingust ghas-skapitu ta' imprendituri onesti Maltin. Il-GRTU ghalhekk temmen
illi l-Parlament ghandu jkollu rapport aktar dirett ma organizazzjonijiet bhal
ma hi l-GRTU biex ic-channel of
communications ma jkunx biss mall-Gvern imma ukoll direttament
mall-Parlament.

Finalment il-GRTU appellat
lill-President tal-Parlament li hu, bhala Speaker jiehu role ikbar f'dak kollhu li jigi propost dwar tibdil fil-kostituzzjoni. 
I-bicca l-kbira tan-nies inkluzi l-membri tal-GRTU m'ghandhomx ideja ta' x'inhu
jinghad dwar l-kostituzzjoni u jkun tajjeb li l-President tal-Parlament jidher
li ghandu rwol fundamentali fuq dan is-suggett.

Dr Anglu Farrugia irringrazzja lill-GRTU
ghal laqgha kordjali u ghas-suggerimenti li sarulu u assigura lill-mexxejja
tal-GRTU li hu  ser jizgura lill Kumitati tal-Kamra jzommu kontinwament
il-htiega ta' komunikazzjoni diretta mall-imsiehba socjali u s-socjeta civili
organizzata.

Prezenti ghall-Laqgha Paul Abela, President, Vincent Farrugia, Direttur Generali, Philip Fenech,
Vici President, Policy & Strategy,
Joan Haber, Vici President, Trade
Sections & Crafts, Carmen Borg – Senior Executive. 

The Culture Programme 2007-2013 aims at enhancing the
cultural area shared by Europeans through the development of cooperation
activities among cultural operators. The general objectives of the Programme
are the promotion of the trans-national mobility of people working in the
cultural sector, the support for the trans-national circulation of cultural and
artistic works and products and the promotion of inter-cultural dialogue. The
Programme is divided into 3 strands as follows:

Strand 1:
Support for cultural projects

Cultural organisations are given support for projects
that involve working together across borders and the creation and
implementation of cultural and artistic activities.  The thrust of this
strand is to help organisations such as theatres, museums, professional
associations, research centres, universities, cultural institutes and public authorities.
This strand is divided into categories as shown in following table:

Strand 2:
Support for organisations active at European level in the field of culture

The grant under
this strand assists with operation costs incurred by beneficiary organisations
implementing their work programmes. The categories eligible under this
strand are ambassadors, advocacy networks, festivals and policy support
structures for the Culture Agenda.

The maximum amount of grants available varies from EUR
100,000 and EUR 600,000, depending on the category applied for.  EU
Support is limited to 80% of total eligible costs, or the costs estimated in
the proposed work programme. The upcoming deadline for this strand is 15
September 2013.

Strand 3:
Support for analysis and for the collection and dissemination of information
and for maximising the impact of projects in the filed of cultural cooperation

The programme
also supports the collection and dissemination of information and activities in
order to maximise the impact of projects. The upcoming deadline for Strand 3 is
1 October 2013.

More detailed information, including submission
deadlines for 2013, is available at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/culture/funding/2013/index_en.php or contact the
Cultural Contact Point in on .

In its Report of 4 May 2007
the Commission evaluated the use of phosphates in detergents. It has been
concluded that the use of phosphates in consumer laundry detergents should be
limited in order to reduce the contribution of phosphates from detergents to
eutrophication risks and to reduce the cost of phosphates removal in waste
water treatment plants.

Those
cost savings outweigh the cost of reformulating consumer laundry detergents
with alternatives to phosphates.

When
excessively discharged into water, phosphates, like nitrates, can raise the
amount of nutrients to an unsustainable level, eventually causing algae to grow
at the expense of other aquatic life. This phenomenon is known as
'eutrophication' or, more commonly, 'red tides' or 'green tides'.

The main
sources of discharge of phosphates into surface waters are agriculture and
sewage with detergents coming in third position.

Phosphates
are primarily used in detergents to ensure efficient cleaning in hard water.
Phosphates originating from detergents and discharged into waste water have to
be removed through costly chemical or biological processes at waste water
treatment plants. Not all treatment plants in the EU are equipped with the
necessary technology to carry this out.

Efficient
alternatives to phosphate-based consumer laundry detergents require small
amounts of other phosphorus compounds, namely phosphonates which, if used in
increasing quantities, might be of concern for the environment. While it is
important to encourage the use of alternative substances with a more favourable
environmental profile than phosphates and other phosphorus compounds in the
manufacture of consumer laundry detergents, such substances should, under their
normal conditions of use, present no risk, or a lower risk, to humans and/or
the environment.

Regulation
(EC) No 648/2004 on detergents was amended by Regulation (EU) No 259/2012 to
limit the use of phosphates and other phosphorous compounds in consumer laundry
detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents. The Regulation
proposes a phosphorous content limit of 0.5% of the total weight of the product
in all laundry detergents on the EU market. This will apply as of 30th June
2013, to allow detergent manufacturers to minimise the costs of modifying the
composition of laundry detergents in a normal product life cycle.

Irish Presidency secures agreement on key remaining part of
Single Market Act I. This Directive will cut red tape for SMEs and increase
transparency with inclusion of "country-by-country" reporting. The agreement secured this week in Brussels by the Irish
Presidency on the Accounting Directive is another major step in reducing red
tape for European SMEs, according to Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, current chair of the Competitiveness Council.

The Directive is one of the final outstanding parts
of the Single Market Act I. Minister Bruton – "At the heart of this
Directive is the drive
to cut red tape and reduce the administrative burden on SMEs. That is
why this
agreement is so important".

One of the Directive's key proposals is the simplification of
accounting rules for SMEs. Among the measures contained in the draft Directive
are the reduction of reporting requirements for SMEs and the introduction of an
exemption from preparing consolidated financial statements for small groups.

The Directive also incorporates a number of measures designed
to enhance financial transparency. The provisions made for Country-by-Country
Reporting will dramatically increase the transparency of payments made to
governments by European companies involved in the extractive industries. The
Reports will assist the citizens of resource-rich countries in holding their
governments to account for the use made of payments received from EU
undertakings active in the extractive industries or in the exploitation of
primary forests.

The agreement reached week will require final approval by the
Committee of Permanent Representatives.

Europe Direct Valletta is one of many Europe Direct
Information Centres (EDIC), almost 500, around the EU. EDICs are one of the
Commission's main tools to offer information to citizens at local level and to
gather citizens` feedback for the European Institutions.

Europe Direct Valletta provides any one with general
information about EU and answers to questions on any European Union policy. It
provides practical and easy to understand information on dozens of subjects:
for example, how to get your qualifications recognized, what are my health
rights when travelling within the EU, how to complain about unsafe products,
etc… We also give advice to help the citizen overcome practical problems with
exercising their rights in Europe. Where required we provide also contact
details of relevant organisations the citizen may need to deal with.

Europe in 12 lessons               Lesson 1: Why the
European Union?

The beginning

During the 20th century, the European continent was ravaged
by several wars. However, a new kind of hope emerged from the rubble of the
Second World War; people were determined to put an end to international hatred
and rivalry in Europe and create lasting peace.

Between 1945 and 1950, a handful of courageous statesman,
Robert Shuman, Konrad Adenauer, Alcide de Gasperi and Winston Churchill, began
to lay the foundations for a new Europe, based on shared interests and founded
upon treaties guaranteeing the rule of law and equality between all countries.

On 9th May 1950 Shuman proposed establishing a European Coal
and Steel Community. Whereby raw materials of war were being turned into
instruments of reconciliation and peace.

The European Union encouraged German unification after the
fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Afterwards, when the Soviet empire crumbled in
1991, the countries of central and Eastern Europe, were released from the ‘iron
curtain' and freed to choose their own destiny. Eight of them joined the EU in
2004, the same year in which Malta joined, and two more followed in 2007. The
process of EU enlargement is still going on. Croatia, for example, will be the
28th member state of the EU in May 2013.

Security, Economic and Social
Solidarity

Europe in the 21st century still faces security issues and
has to work constructively with the regions just beyond its borders, like the
Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East. The fight against terrorism and
organised crime requires the police forces of all EU countries to work together
closely. Making the EU an ‘area of freedom, security and justice' where
everyone has equal access to justice and is equally protected by the law is a
new challenge that requires close cooperation between governments. Bodies like
Europol, the European Police Office and Eurojust also have to play an active
and effective role.
From an economic point of view, European countries must continue pulling
together if they are to ensure economic growth. No individual EU country is
strong enough to fare alone in world trade. To achieve economies of scale and
find new customers, European companies need a broader base than just their
national home market, and the European single market provides it, a market of
500 million consumers.

Another important pillar is Europe-wide solidarity. This has
clear tangible benefits for European citizens. The "Structural Funds" encourage
and supplement the efforts of National Authorities to reduce inequalities
between different parts of Europe. Such funds are used to improve the transport
infrastructure, invest in renewable energy sources, education and training,
etc… The global financial crises in 2008 required for the EU to provide
financial assistance to the hardest-hit countries. In 2010 the EU led Member
States to make a concerted effort to reduce their public debt. The big
challenge of the EU countries is that in the years ahead together they will
stand to face the global crises and find a way out of the recession into
sustainable growth.

According to its values, the EU seeks to ensure that
humankind is the beneficiary, rather than the victim, of the greater global
changes that are taking place. The EU stands for a model of society that the
great majority of its citizens support. Europeans cherish their rich heritage
of values, which includes a belief in human rights, social solidarity, free
enterprise, a fair distribution of fruits of economic growth, the right to a
protected environment, respect for cultural, linguistic and religious diversity
and a harmonious blend of tradition and progress.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union sets
out all rights recognised today by the EU's Member States and their citizens.
Shared rights and values create a feeling of kinship between Europeans. To take
just one example, all EU countries have abolished the death penalty.

In the long run however, all EU countries benefit. Sixty
years of European integration has shown that the EU as a whole is greater than
the sum of its parts and this is an added value in acting together and speaking
with a single voice. Working together does not mean erasing the distinct
cultural and linguistic identity of individual countries. On the contrary, many
EU activities help promote regional specialities and the rich diversity of Europe's
traditions and cultures.

      21 228 843

GRTU, Exchange Building,
Republic Street, Valletta