Author: SME Chamber

Through Legal Notice 3 of 2013
entitled 'Micro and Small Business Representation Regulations, 2013', it has
been recognised that for all intents and purposes, by virtue of article 17 of
the Small Business Act, GRTU Malta Chamber of SMEs has the right to represent
small businesses.

The right of representation of micro
and small businesses as defined in Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of the
6th May 2003, has with the publication of this Legal Notice been vested in
GRTU.

This since GRTU is a social partner
at law in terms of article 2 of the Malta Council for Economic and Social
Development Act.

SMEST is an EU funded
project aimed to help SMEs to make the best of standards-making process.  Across Europe, events are being organized at
national level in order to impart information as to how SMEs can work on developing
their businesses more effectively with the utilization of standards.

A SMEST Workshop will
be taking place in Malta
on the 8^th April 2013.

This will be organized
by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) in partnership
with the SMEST Project Team. During this interactive workshop, participants
will have the possibility to learn about the benefits which SMEs can acquire
through standardization. National, European and International standards can be
used by different kinds of businesses and in the course of this workshop,
participants will be shown how they can get involved in the standard-making
processes with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of their organization.
This interactive workshop will present best practice examples that highlight
the advantages of standardization and will provide an opportunity to initiate
new relationships as well as strengthen present ones that exist between
National Standardization Institutes and SME associations.  

All
those interested in participating in the SMEST workshop in Malta may do so by
filling in the Registration Form and send it by email at
by not later than Wednesday 3rd April 2013.

The Malta Competition and Consumer
Affairs Authority has been notified of a number of products which pose a
serious risk to consumers. The below details refer: Should your company retail, import or
distribute the product in question, you are requested to notify GRTU without
delays, so necessary action is taken as soon as possible.

May we remind you of the obligations
under the General Product Safety Act that manufacturers/ importers/
distributors of products on the market in Malta are required to report any
incidents occurring and involving products they represent.

Notification
1: Batch number/Barcode: EAN
8592548320785 Plush toy teddy bear, approximate size 250 mm, designed for
children from 3 years old. Packed in a transparent plastic box with a paper
insert marked: "Love Mate", "Recordable Plush Toy" and
pictograms for replacement batteries.

Dangers
Details: Choking and Chemical. The product
poses a choking and chemical risk because the battery compartment is accessible
and can be easily opened. As a result, children have access to the batteries
and may put them in the mouth and swallow them. The product does not comply
with the Toys Safety Directive and the relevant European standard EN 71-1.

Notification
2: Barcode: 5602029092520. Children's
black fancy dress outfit including a shirt, trousers, red belt, eye mask and
cape. The packaging is a transparent plastic bag with a hanger including a card
bearing the importer's details, size, model number, composition, barcode, care
instructions and warnings.

Dangers
Details: Strangulation. The product poses a
risk of strangulation due to the presence of cords with loose ends in the neck
area. The product does not comply with the relevant European standard EN 14682.

Notification
3: Barcode: 8435234911532. A set of two
dolls (a large and small one), with accessories: bag, brush, boots, baby's
bottle and buggy. The packaging is a cardboard box with a transparent window,
which bears an age warning and the importer's details.

Dangers
Details: Chemical. The product poses a
chemical risk because the small doll contains 10.5% of dibutylphthalate (DBP)
by mass. According to the REACH Regulation the phthalates DEHP, DBP and BBP are
prohibited in all toys and childcare articles, while phthalates DINP, DIDP and
DNOP are prohibited in toys or childcare articles that can be placed in the
mouth by children.

Notification
4: Small, soft, stuffed, toy brown bear
cub with white clothes – 17 cm. Sold without packaging.

Dangers
Details: Choking. The
product poses the risk of choking because small parts (eyes) could be easily
detached, put into the mouth and swallowed. The product does not comply with
the Toy Safety Directive and with the relevant European standard EN 71-1.

Notification
5: Barcode: 5602259980109. Soft toy in
the form of a yellow and red piglet with a pink snout. Packed in a transparent
plastic bag sealed with a card on which a label is affixed. The front label
indicates the item, warnings and origin, and the back label indicates the
importer's contact details, warnings, reference, barcode, CE marking and age
restriction symbol.

Dangers
Details: Choking. The product poses a risk of
choking because small parts (eyes) can be detached and swallowed by small
children. The product does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and with
the relevant European standard EN 71-1.

Notification
6: Batch number/Barcode: 6991294123626
Children´s plastic gun set with 2 sorts of plastic projectiles: 3 balls and 3
projectiles with suction cups. The packaging is a blister with a cardboard back
sheet containing information related to age grading and warnings, barcode,
importer details and playing instructions.

Dangers
Details: Chemical and Choking. The product
poses a chemical risk because the suction cups of the projectiles contain 7.24
% by weight of DEHP and 4.52 % by weight of DPB. In addition the product
contains 2.45 % by weight of DINP. According to the REACH Regulation the
phthalates DEHP, DBP and BBP are prohibited in all toys and childcare articles,
while phthalates DINP, DIDP and DNOP are prohibited in toys or childcare
articles that can be placed in the mouth by children In addition, the product
poses a risk of choking because the suction cups can be detached and could be
swallowed by small children. The product does not comply with the Toy Safety
Directive and the relevant

European standard EN 71-1.

Water Treatment – A German company offers a new system
working against scale and corrosion on a galvanic/electrolytic basis without
chemicals for water pipes, machines and applications. It does not soften the
water but neutralizes scale and corrosion, cuts costs and is suitable for any
type of pipe.

It protects metal surfaces, leading to better performance and
longer life. It is for private, commercial and industrial applications.
Partners are sought for commercial agreements with technical assistance.

Textiles – A Portuguese start up, working in the
development of new textiles, has developed an innovative range of clothes that
are capable of repelling different types of insects. The textiles treated with
repellent compounds are suitable for any person, for military applications,
working clothes or casual wearing, uniforms, bed clothes and underwear. The
company is looking for a commercial agreement with technical assistance and
technical cooperation with companies that deliver clothes for different types
of applications.

World
It Show – 22-23 May Seoul,
Korea – The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)
is promoting the World IT show – B2B Buyer Meeting and Korea-EU Joint
Cooperation Seminar – as one of its brokerage events. The World IT show will be held on
22nd and 23rd May 2013 in Seoul (Korea).

Mobile/ Communications / BroadcastingCloud

Computing / Big Data / IT Service

Software / Digital Contents

IT Convergence

Industrial Electronics

The B2B Buyer Meeting will be hend on
22nd May 2013. Participants need to be companies and ideally prospective buyers
of Korean products.

ASIA
EU Matchmaking Event 21
– 23 May Beijing,
China

The Asia EU Matchmaking event in Beijing is a quick
and easy way to meet potential cooperation partners. You will be able to meet people and build on
connections for a future cooperation.

The event will focus on:

Electronic Information and Communication

Engineering and Manufacturing

New
materials and New Energy

Environmental protection

Agriculture and Green Technology

Bio-Engineering and Pharmaceuticals

Futurallia
Istanbul 2013 5-7
June 2013

Malta-based companies in Malta are invited to
participate in a Matchmaking event due to be held in Istanbul on 5 – 7 June
2013.

"Futurallia Istanbul 2013" will gather more than 20
business sectors from 30 countries in Istanbul during these 3 days. In the past years, Futurallia was held in France,
Canada, Belgium, Poland, Qatar and the USA, and for the first time it has been
decided to organise this international event in Istanbul, Turkey.

The main sectors represented at this Matchmaking Event
are:

Automotive

Machinery & Metallurgy

Electric & Electronics

Construction

Textile & clothing

Aviation

Environmental Technologies

ICT Print Sector

Food (Agro-Food)

Furniture

Logistics

Health, Cosmetic and Medical products

Services

Biotechnology

Chemical
Sector

Malta
Enterprise is also offering the possibility to part- finance travelling costs
up to 50% plus daily per diem for participation in such approved
activities.  

The German company Timm Elektronik
GmbH develops and manufactures measuring and control-equipment for the
petrochemical and chemical industry mainly in Europe. They specialise in the
production of explosion proof equipment, which enables the safe loading and
unloading of flammable liquids of tank trucks, railway wagons and ships which
are typically used in tank farms, refineries and harbours. The company has been
in business for 50 years and is considered to be a market leader for some of
the products it produces.

The company would like to further its
business to Northern Africa as well as to the Near and Middle East and is
therefore looking for a business partner located in Malta.

The Maltese partner should be a
company that is supplying the petro-chemical and chemical industry (tank farms,
refineries, harbours, etc.) with equipment/systems/ engineering services, and
is knowledgeable and has experience within the explosion-proof equipment and
systems.       Send an email on if interested

Innovation performance in the EU has
improved year on year in spite of the continuing economic crisis, but the
innovation divide between Member States is widening. This is the result of the
European Commission Innovation Union Scoreboard 2013, a ranking of EU Member
States. While the most innovative countries have further improved their
performance, others have shown a lack of progress.

European Commission Vice President
Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, said:
"This year's results show that the economic crisis has negatively impacted
innovation activity in  some parts of
Europe. Investment in innovation is crucial if we want to maintain our global
competitiveness and restore growth in Europe. We need to encourage
entrepreneurship as SMEs have been a key driver of innovation."
Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, responsible for Research, Innovation and
Science, said: "Innovation should now be at the heart of all Member
States' policy agendas. Our latest State of the Innovation Union report, also
published today, shows we made progress in 2012 on some of the big ticket items
like the Unitary Patent and new rules for venture capital funds, but we need to
go further in order to avoid an innovation divide in Europe." The European
Commission has also today published a report complementary to the Scoreboard.
The State of the Innovation Union report shows that the Commission has already
largely delivered on the Innovation Union flagship commitments.

The Malta Council for Science and
Technology is currently preparing the update to the National Research and
Innovation strategy based on input from the business sector in order to
identify the major strengths and opportunities for innovation in Malta. The
outcomes of these discussions will help shape the priorities for funding in
terms of the European Cohesion Funding for the period 2014 – 2020.

The Malta Council for Science and
Technology is organising a series of focus groups to bring together private
sector stakeholders for an interactive discussion to help determine the
potential for research and innovation based growth in niche areas within these
sectors: tourism, energy, the creative industries, health, high value-added
services and manufacturing, financial services, ICT and transport, as well as
the kind of support measures which you feel are necessary to exploit this
potential to the full.  It is important
to emphasise that the discussion will focus on the means towards
innovation-based growth within niche areas in these sectors.

You are kindly invited to register to
participate in any of these focus groups by completing the attached
Registration Form and forwarding by e-mail to by 3rd April
2013.

MCST will organise one or more focus
groups during April and May. Those who submit their expression of interest by
the above deadline will be informed of the date and time of the focus group
meeting in due course.

For further information call on 2360
2121 or 2360 2148.

Update to machines accepting/authenticating money required. Meetings for GRTU Members – Money Authentication Machine Suppliers – 3rd April at
17.30, Petrol Stations – 3rd April at 19.00, Retailers – 9th April at 16.00. This meeting is very important in order to be prepared
for the new bank notes.