Author: SME Chamber

Applications forms
have to be submitted to the Approving Body, Ministry for Resources and Rural
Affairs, by Green MT. Applications for Exemption need to be signed by GREEN MT
for each individual Producer applying for exemption from Eco Contribution for
2013.  Applications will be signed on presentation of receipt showing
payment to Scheme for all 2012. Closing date is 18th January 2013. This would
allow the Approving Body a sufficient timeframe to process all applications on
time, that is, a number of days in advance of the 15th February VAT deadline.

If you have already obtained the Eco
Contribution Exemption Certificate for past years, you need to RE-APPLY for the
year 2013.

Before submitting the application
form to the Scheme, you are advised to check the Guidelines for Schemes and
Applicants.

(HS Codes 2201, 2202, 2203, 2204, 2205,
2206, 2208, 3303, 3304, 3305, 3306, 3307, 3402, 3923, 7010 and 7612)

Green MT takes this opportunity to
inform Producer Members that our offices are open to receiving these
applications between Monday to Friday from 08.00 am to 16.30 pm.  

We thank you for your cooperation and
wish you best wishes for Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Application forms for exemptions and
guidelines can be obtained from Green MT officials is by phone of email
.

Call for interest – Vice-President Tajani is inviting
companies to join them on the next mission for growth to Peru and Chile from 23
to 26 January 2013. His key objective is to persuade political leaders of the
importance of closer cooperation with the EU as a means of generating growth
and jobs for both sides. He will be accompanied by top-level business leaders
with a strong interest in developing their links with the countries concerned.

These missions have as objectives:

1.      to promote sustainable and
inclusive growth in the European Union and the visited countries;

2.      to help EU companies,
including SMEs, to exploit business opportunities in the countries concerned;
to this end political agreements as basis for further cooperation in various
sectors under VP Tajani's  responsibility
will be signed;

3.      promote EU industry in
targeted sectors by organizing matchmaking events with local entrepreneurs and
by participating in major events that take place in these countries during the
visit.

The presence of individual
CEOs/entrepreneurs interested in cooperation with Peru and Chile in the
delegation will be the key for the success of the missions.

Contact GRTU's EU & International
Desk for more information or your interest in participation.

Kercem Local Council and Green MT
decided to thank those residents who participate in the collection of
recyclables through the grey bag by giving them a ponseitta on Tuesday 11th
December. The ponseitta was given to those families where the recycling bag was
found outside their doors.

Kercem Local Council and the waste
carrier in the locality are very proactive for the collection of separated
recyclables. From Kercem, Green MT recovers 940   kilos weekly of recyclable materials.

It was actually the waste carrier of
the locality who recommended such an initiative and Green MT accepted the
proposal. Last Tuesday 232 households out of a total of 580 occupied households
had a grey bag outside their household. This means that 40% of the households
within Kercem are recovering recyclables in this locality. It is pertinent to
point out that a number of what are described as occupied households are
resided only during the summer months.

Green MT takes this opportunity to
thank its Eco Councillors for taking an early trip to Gozo and be at Kercem by
8 am to start checking the roads for the grey bag. A thank you goes also to the
Local Council for distributing these ponseittas.

Green MT wishes one and all A Merry
Christmas.

GRTU President Paul Abela, Deputy
President Philip Fenech and GRTU Executive on International Relations Abigail
Mamo have this week welcomed 2 counsellors from the Cuban Embassy in Rome while
on a Trade Mission to Malta. This was the first event of its type between Malta
and Cuba.

GRTU President gave an introduction of
how GRTU works and he proposed the signing of an MOU between the two businesses
representatives in both countries, which would further facilitate business. The
Cuban representatives said that the opportunities in Cuba are many especially
now that the country is in time of transitional, and this is the ideal time for
businesses seeking to do business with Cuba.

Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean and home to over 11 million people and is the most populous
island nation in the Caribbean, as well as the largest by area.

The Cuban representatives said that the
biggest sector in Cuba and the one that holds most opportunity is tourism. They
want to open the definition of tourism in Cuba in all its complexity, meaning
not only sea and sun but also music, culture, architecture, the people and as a
very secure destination. Foreign businesses having an interest to target
tourism will surely find opportunities and support. Cuba is also very
interested to export cultural and medical services.

The Cuba Investment Law provides
guidelines on the way investments are permissible. There are a number of
options for a business owner to invest however these are mainly based on joint
ventures with Cuban partners and in any case require the approval from the
Cuban Ministry of Foreign Investment.

A Maltese mission to Cuba is being
planned sometime next year. More information will follow together with additional
opportunities available in Cuba.

The Embassy in Rome also deals with
diplomatic issues between Malta and Cuba and the Visa system is simple but
would require for the passport to be sent to Rome and returned in a week and 30
days for the visa to be issued.

The
Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) and the Commerce Department
(CD), Ministry for Fair Competition, Small Business and Consumers (MFCC) will
be holding a consultation session on the Proposal for a Directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council on collective management of copyright
and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works
for online uses in the internal market [COM(2012) 372].

The
objective of the proposal is to put in place a better legal framework for the
collective management of rights that are administered by collecting societies
on behalf of right-holders such as authors, performers, producers etc. It will
provide for rules to improve the standards of governance, transparency and
financial management of all collecting societies, thus improving the management
of revenues collected on behalf of the right-holders (creators) as well as
enhancing the co-operation between collecting societies across the EU. It will
also set minimum standards, adapted to the digital world, for collecting
societies' multi-territorial licensing of authors' rights in musical works used
for the provision of online services, which allows for improved and simpler
cross-border licensing.

The
consultation session will be held on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, between 2:00pm
and 3:00pm, at the Multipurpose Hall, Education Department, Beltissebħ,
Floriana.

The Council has adopted a decision
closing the excessive deficit procedures for Malta, confirming that it has
reduced its deficit below 3% of GDP, the EU's reference value for government
deficits. The decision abrogates the decision that
the Council took in July 2009 on the existence of an excessive deficit in Malta
after its general government deficit reached 4.7% of GDP in 2008.

The Commission projects the deficit to
fall further to 2.6% of GDP in 2012, mainly thanks to revenue-increasing
measures that are mostly of a one-off nature. Under a no-policychange scenario,
the general government deficit would widen to 2.9% of GDP in 2013 before
narrowing again, to 2.6% of GDP, in 2014, thus remaining below the 3% of GDP reference
value over the forecast horizon. Budget consolidation measures are however
contained in Malta's 2013 budget, which was adopted after the cut-off date for
the Commission's autumn economic forecast. The Council concluded that Malta's
excessive deficit has been corrected.

Il-Ministru għar-Riżorsi u l-Affarijiet
Rurali George Pullicino ħabbar id-dettalji ta' skema li qed tinċentiva
lis-sidien tal-karozzi biex il-karozzi jinqalbu biex jaħdmu wkoll bl-autogas.
Karozzi li jaħdmu b' autogas iniġġżu anqas u diġà insibu f'pajjiżna numru ta'
vetturi li nqallbu biex qed jaħdmu bl-autogas.

L-iskema se tidħol fis-seħħ mill-1
ta' Jannar 2013, se tinċentiva lil min jeqleb il-karozza tiegħu
għall-autogas  billi jingħata rifużjoni
ta' €200, u tibqa' fis-seħħ sakemm jibbenefikaw 1,000 persuna.  Din l-iskema qed issir b'investiment ta'
€200,000.

L-applikazzjonijiet għandhom jiġu
sottomessi fuq formoli pprovduti apposta u li se jkunu jistghu jinkisbu
mill-website www.mrra.gov.mt wara l-1 ta' Jannar 2013 u għandhom jaslu
fil-Ministeru tar-Riżorsi u l-Affarijiet Rurali kif indikat fuq il-Formoli.
l-aplikant irid l-ewwel jiġi bl-applikazzjoni u jkun wara biss li tingħata
grant letter li jkun jista jaghmel il-conversion.

L-iskema hija applikabbli għal
individwi privati iżda teskludi vetturi li ma jintużawx għat-trasport personali.  Vetturi użati għall-skopijiet sportivi u
muturi fost oħrajn mhumiex inkużi fl-iskema. L-applikant irid ikun is-sid
rreġistrat tal-vettura li għaliha tkun qed issir l-applikazzjoni.  L-għotja hija limitata għal vettura waħda
għal kull dar. Familja li tkun ibbenifikat minn għotjiet oħra dwar ix-xiri
tal-vettura  ma hiex eliġibbli għal
għotja taħt din l-iskema.

Biex vettura tibbenifika minn din
l-iskema trid tilħaq dawn il-kriterji:

jkollha magna 2 ltr jew inqas;

tkun
liċenżjata fit-triq mhux qabel l-1 ta' Jannar 2009;

il-vettura
tkun reġistrata għal użu fit-triq ma' Transport Malta;

il-konversjoni tal-autogas tkun
saret minn persuna kompetenti skont il-lista ta' persuni pprovduta mill- Awtorita' Maltija għar-Riżorsi;

tilħaq l-istandards ta' UN ECE 67 u UN ECE 115 – standards
applikabbli għas-sistema ta' konverżjoni;

l-apparat installat u s-sistema
jkunu ttestjati skont il-Kodiċi ta' prattika tal-Awtorita' Maltija
għar-Riżorsi.

Jekk 10% tal-karozzi tal-passiġġieri
fl-Ewropa jikkonvertu għal din is-sistema ta' fjuwil, f'sena, l-Europa tnaqqas
350 miljun tunnellata ta' CO2. Huwa kkalkulat ukoll li fl-istess perijodu jkunu
frankati €20 biljun f'external costs mill-Gvernijiet inkluż spejjeż tas-saħħa
relatati mat-tniġġiż fl-arja, filwaqt li l-familji Ewropej ikunu ffrankaw €41
biljun f'konsum.

 L-Autogas huwa diġà użat minn aktar minn 7
miljun karozza fl-Ewropa. Dan kollu jgħin ukoll fil-miri tat-tnaqqis
tal-gassijiet serra li l-Unjoni Ewropea fasslet li għandhom jintlaħqu sas-sena
2020.

 f'Awwissu 2010 f'pajjiżna ħarġu regolamenti li
jagħmlu possibbli l-bidla għall-karozza biex tkun tista' taħdem bl-Autogas. Din
tista' ssir minn persuni awtorizzati mill-Awtorità ta' Malta dwar ir-Riżorsi.
Fil-preżent huma 19-il kumpaniji li huma awtorizzati biex iwettqu dan
ix-xogħol. Id-dettalji ta' min jista' jwettaq dan ix-xogħol ikunu updated fuq
is-sit eletroniku tal-Awtorità ta' Malta dwar ir-Riżorsi www.mra.org.mt.

The charging time for controlled access into Valletta in
December shall be from 8am to 4.30pm
Mondays to Fridays. On Saturdays
charging times will remain from 8am
till 1pm while on Sundays and public holidays access into    Valletta will remain free.

Gas Distributors, Water Bowser
Operators, Lotto receivers and Importers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment
have barely anything in common. However behind the scenes, beyond the concern
of the public, the man in the street, all of these sectors have their
livelihood left hanging by incompetent Authorities appointed by the Government
of the Day.

Gas Distributors have been in this
saga since October 2008. In October 2008, Legal Notice 249 was published and
totally liberalized the gas distribution retail sector without even recognizing
that 31 distributors already existed in the market covering services across all
the island. The new Legal Notice gave way to the issuing of two new
authorizations to distribute LPG in cylinders.

We are of course aware today that
Legal Notice 249 of 2008 was prepared by the big boys and handed to Government
so that his job was only to effectively transpose it. Government gave in to the
demands of investors with the excuse of liberalizations and the Services
Directive.

Since then the saga of discussions to
rectify this anomaly has been never ending. The public is not a part of this
because it keeps getting the service at prices fixed by MRA. The deliveries are
effected to every corner of the island. There are no exorbitant additional
fees. And since the service continues the Government Authorities do not feel
that they have to decide on their future. It seems that Government and its
appointed authorities only hear the distributors the day they decide to put
down their delivery vehicles and cease to provide a service. Of course, GRTU is given
the dog‘s lead. We continue to be provided with a scenario that makes us
gullible enough to accept that something is being done behind the scenes.
Gullible we are not and stupid neither!

What worries us is the fact that on
the eve of an election the Government of the day should be working hard 36/7 to
make sure that pending issues are solved. The way these issues have not been
solved and are not being tackled makes us think that the Government of the day
deep down has acknowledged defeat at the polls already. Then they would leave
these problems to the Labour Party to solve with the added spice that they
would then point fingers at those who would not solve them overnight.

If this is the scenario, then GRTU is
appalled at such an approach. We call black black and white white. Time is
running out fast and taking small and medium sized enterprises in these sectors
for a ride is not acceptable at all. For one the gas distributors have had more
than enough promises more than enough time frames.

The coming week is telling time for
the Government of the day or caretaker Government (depending on the Budget
vote). We are told that Government is waiting for a decision from MCCAA. Where
is this decision? Where is the safeguard hero of Troy who is supposed to be a
Minister for the SMEs, special envoy for SMEs. MCCAA falls under his umbrella.
Is it possible that he cannot pinch any one's a…… at the Authority? Or is he
just a pawn in a lion's den?

Once MCCAA issue this famous or
infamous decision, we could then expect the Government to take the next move.
And move it will have to, either left or right! Government will have to decide.
Gas Distributors will no longer bite their nails. Time is more then up! What
happens next week in this sector will of course decide whether what the public
has been used to, to date, continues over the Xmas period and into the New Year
peacefully and with good intents. If there are no decisions next week
then…gas supply to your doorstep is no longer a guarantee. And if there's
anyone to blame, blame the Government of the day!

As they say procrastination is the
thief of time!