Author: SME Chamber

GRTU would like to extend an invitation to you for an exclusive one bedroom 'EXPO Hotel' at the HSBC Malta Property & Homes Expo.

DAAA House and their Italian partners CLOU and BARRISOL will be showcasing their creativity by designing and developing the innovative Expo Hotel. The stand re-creates spaces typically found in hotels including; a small reception, retail area, a one bedroom suite and lounge bar with a distinctive creative flair synonymous with DAAA HAUS.

Fri 13th April – 18.00-22.00

Sat 14th & Sun 15th April – 10.00-13.00 & 15.30-22.00

MFCC Ta` Qali

Should you wish to meet the Italian partners, they will be available for meetings and consultations throughout the three day event.

 

The Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament (IMCO) has voted recently on its report, which contains an article that can have very negative consequences for the participation of SMEs in the European standardisation process.  As the file is currently being discussed in the Council called on the Maltese Government's intervention.

 

Annex III of the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European Standardisation COM(2011)0315 – C7 0150/2011 – 2011/0150(COD)) sets the requirements that the European stakeholder organisations should  meet in order to be eligible for the financing by the Union.

The draft regulation, in its original version as proposed by the European Commission, stipulated that a European SME stakeholder organization should be mandated by non-profit organisations representing the relevant stakeholder category "in at least two thirds of the Member States".

Amendment 110 of the IMCO report modifies the above requirement only for the organisation representing SMEs, making this much more demanding than before: the European organisation must be "mandated by non-profit organisations representing the majority of SMEs in all Member States".

If this text is adopted this will have extremely negative consequences. The three most relevant ones being:

a) no European SME organisation would be able to fulfil the criteria

b) no financing for the representation of SMEs in standardisation

c)  no representation of SME-specific interests in standardisation at EU-level

GRTU therefore asked the Maltese Government to reject the amendment 110 of IMCO, in order to go back to the initial Commission proposal.

The Malta Council for Science and Technology will be organising an information session on the Horizon 2020 Programme. Horizon 2020 will be the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

The Programme will run from 2014 to 2020 with an €80 billion budget and aims to implement the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness.

The information session will be held on Wednesday 18^th April between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm. Mr Alan Cross, Deputy Head of Unit from the European Commission will deliver the main presentation.

Should you wish to attend this session, please send an email to

An Italian organization is looking for a partners in order to submit a project proposal under CIP ICT PSP 2012 under objective 3.1 'Digital Services for Smart Urban Energy Efficiency".

The project intends to test an ICT and services platform oriented to boost energy efficiency especially oriented at publicly owned buildings and installations. It devises a practical approach taking into account all steps needed in order to get saving in energy and cost.

The project involves several pilots at Italy, UK and Spain at moment.

Partner searches:

Energy Service Companies – Bringing business models that are measured in respect of all savings in the project

Cities/Building/Public Administrations – Providing both places where perform the actions of energy efficiency and the definition

Technology companies – Bringing ICT, control technology, and power generation systems

For more information please contact APRE Anita D'Andrea () or Chiara Pocaterra ()

Why did you become an entrepreneur? My vision to offer better IT services in Malta, 22 years ago, inspired me to become an entrepreneur. My father also inspired me to start my own enterprise since he was a self-employed person in a totally different sector, i.e. tile-laying.

How have you come to choose your line of business?

I was always an IT Savvy person, and I studied computer technology back in 1988. I started working as an IT Administrator with a company when IT was literally at it's infancy. The service provided by IT companies at that time left much to be desired, focusing only on box shifting. My ambition was to offer the best possible service in a newly developing industry.

Where did you go on your last holiday?

My last holiday was in Cyprus, Agia Napa, with my wife and my youngest kids. I enjoyed the food, the location and the people. I was impressed with how the village of Famagusta has been left after the invasion.

What is your earliest memory?

Going out with my family every weekend to different places in Malta, like Ghar Lapsi and Ghar Dalam.

If you could chose to be someone famous who would you be and why?

Bill Gates because I always admired how he manages to use the knowledge he gathers from people and turns it into a project or system that eventually makes him more money. Besides that, after he made himself one of the richest people on earth, he eventually dedicated his time to improve other people's lives, mostly those people that are more in need in the world.

Saudi Arabia's supreme council has formally approved a draft agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Malta for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion concerning tax on income.

The Council-also known as the Majlis Al-Shura-met last Monday in Riyadh, and approved the treaty signed with Malta last January.

It is understood that the treaty provisions are based on the articles of the OECD model tax convention. The Malta-Saudi Arabia treaty will enter into force once ratification procedures applicable in both jurisdictions are completed. Malta signed a ‘Convention on the Avoidance of Double Taxation' with Saudi Arabia during bilateral talks held by Malta's Deputy Prime Minister and his counterpart in Riyadh in January.

Saudi Arabia is the largest member of the Gulf Cooperation Council with the most power and oil-based economy. The agreement should significantly boost bi-lateral trade and investment flows.

 

The meeting held today with the Contracts Department was called by GRTU following complaints we received from our members.
Graphic Designers cannot bid due to high thresholds – GRTU was approached by self-employed graphic designers complaining of a clause in a tender document they were interested to apply for: "The maximum amount of sub-contracting must not exceed 40 % of the total contract value. The main contractor must have the ability to carry out at least 60 % of the contract works by his own means."

 

This, GRTU argued, is prohibitive and heavily limits the participation of such micro service providers and self-employed because while being able to fulfill an important part of the tender requirements, their share still constitutes much less than the 60%. GRTU spoke especially for those micro and self-employed enterprises who's main operation relies most especially on their artistic ability and do not have the capital to invest in materials of production such as printing machinery.

In most cases the price of the art is much lower than the actual production, as such the 40% limit of the total contract value is prohibitive to the graphic designer, who is still able to deliver a finished product instead of submitting his own quotation.

The Contracts Department explained that they do see GRTU's point. They said that these specifications are not standard and are included by the body issuing the tender as it deems fit, and in other cases such clauses do make sense. The Contracts Department also explained that in any case if an interested bidder feels there is lack of fairness or transparency the bidder can ask for clarification and argue their case.

The contacts department however also confirmed that such thresholds are prohibitive to the participation of independent graphic designers and therefore they will guide the bodies issuing tenders in a way not to prohibit such bidders from participating. GRTU was pleased with this arrangement.

Sub-contracting to self-employed

The second point raised by GRTU was related to the "Statement on Conditions of Employment" accompanying a tender. The paper stated that "Tenderers are to ensure that self-employed personnel are not engaged on this contract. Non-compliance will invalidate the contact". GRTU members interpreted this as meaning that they cannot sub-contract to self-employed individuals and therefore felt they were unable to bid for the tender because they can supply materials but they must sub-contract to self-employed individuals to carry out the works. The Contracts Department clarified that the case GRTU is putting forward was not of engagement of self-employed but sub-contracting. Therefore there was no issue.

Compliance with Environmental laws

The last point presented by GRTU was that the Contracts Department ensured that bidders being awarded a contract were complaint with VAT regulations and any other regulations which ensured that only those abiding to Maltese Law were awarded tenders and therefore ensuring a level playing field. The GRTU however informed the Contracts Department that enterprises today are also abiding to very costly environmental obligations which also should be taken into consideration when awarding tenders.

The price put forward by a bidder who abides with his environmental obligations is certainly less than the price of a bidder who doesn't. Compliance with the Waste Packaging Directive by all importers is imperative under Maltese Law, therefore awarding contracts also to non-complaint enterprises does create an unlevel playing field and does encourage non compliance since the bidding price will be inevitably lower.

The Contracts Department immediately assured the GRTU that in no way is their intention to encourage non-compliance and therefore will immediately initiate talks with other Government Departments to see how this objective can be achieved. They explained this would probably be included as a clause in the tender document but discussions would have to be carried out to assess any impact this might have. GRTU was also pleased with this arrangement.

Thursday 19th April – 14.00hrs – GRTU – The excellent relations between Malta and Libya were further cemented last week when GRTU signed a Bilateral Agreement with the Misurata Chamber of Commerce in Misurata. The agreement makes it possible for members of both the Misurata and the Maltese businesses members of GRTU to "feel at home" when visiting Libya and Malta. As such, a Misurata Chamber member will be entitled to all the benefits that a GRTU member has in Malta and Vice Versa.

 

This will mean that companies wishing to invest in both Malta and Libya will have their processes facilitated by both organisations. A programme of cultural and trade visits is currently being organised.

With a particular focus on ports and maritime services, manufacturing, food industry and Construction, GRTU will help companies explore business and investment opportunities in post-war Libya. As such, GRTU members interested in this are invited to attend an informal seminar at the GRTU offices in order to set up a GRTU Libya committee to start organising the first GRTU visit and one-to-one meetings with Libyan companies.

If interested to attend kindly contact Abigail Mamo at GRTU on or 21 232 881.

Fl-Laqgha kordjali li saret din l-Gimgha mas-Sindku u rapprezentanti tal-Kunsill ta' M'Xlokk u sidien ta' restoranti, il-GRTU, fakkret fid-diversi laqghat li saru dawn l-ahhar snin bejn l-Kunsill u l-GRTU sabiex jintlahaq l-ahjar arrangament bejn dawk kollha involuti fosthom: l-bejjiegha tal-monti, s-sajjieda, s-sidien tar-restoranti kif ukoll ir-residenti. Giet diskussa fid-dettal l-master plan li giet pprezentata mill-Lands lill-MEPA. Ovja l-problemi ma jonqsux, izda l-GRTU tibqa' l-medjatur sabiex ghan-nom tal-membri taghha flimkien mall-Kunsill, Awtoritajiet u dawk kollha nvoluti jinstab kunsens sabiex titnaqqas kull forma ta' burokrazija.

 

 

 

 

Il-GRTU talbet li jsiru xi alterazzjonijiet zghar fosthom l-posti ta' l-imwejjed u s-siggijiet u tigi mmarkata l-area ta' fejn qieghed jarma l-monti illum atar fid-dettal. Kemm l-GRTU kif ukoll l-Kunsill qablu li minghajr aktar dewmien, jintlahaq arrangament mas-sidien tal-Monti li jarma kuljum. Kif qieghed jarma llum, il-Monti qieghed ikun ta' detriment ghas-sidien tar-restoranti li qed jispiccaw bil-monti quddiemhom mit-Tnejn sal-Hadd, il-gurnata kollha sa ma jidlam. Dan qieghed johloq ukoll inkonvenjent sostanzjali ghal kull min izur Marsaxlokk dovut ghat-traffiku u n-nuqqas ta' parkegg. L-GRTU qeghda titlob sabiex tittiehed decizjoni finali mill-aktar fis sabiex jigi identifikat l-ahjar post sabiex jopera l-Monti. Il-Monti tal-Hadd ser jibqa jopera kif qieghed fil-prezent. Il-GRTU rringrazjat lill-Kunsill ghal kooperazzjoni shiha, u talbitu s-support f'decizjoni li tkun prattika, ekkwa u gusta fl-iqsar zmien possibbli.