Author: SME Chamber

Eurogroup president says he has received "strong assurances" on implementation of austerity package. Greece should win approval for its €130 billion international bail-out on Monday (20 February), the head of the group of eurozone finance ministers said tonight.

 

Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, who chairs the group, said that a conference call involving the 17 ministers had been a success and had recognised that "substantial progress" had been made by Greek authorities in meeting the conditions laid down.

In a short statement following the phone call, Juncker said that the group had received "strong assurances" from leaders of the main Greek political parties that after parliamentary elections in April they would abide by the austerity measures which are a condition of the bail-out. The ‘troika' officials from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund had presented to the ministers its analysis on the sustainability of Greek debt.

He said: "Further technical work between Greece and the troika has led to the identification of the required additional consolidation measures of €325 million and the establishment of a detailed list of prior actions together with a timeline for their implementation.

"Further considerations are necessary regarding the specific mechanisms to strengthen the surveillance of programme implementation and to ensure that priority is given to debt servicing."

He said he was "confident" that ministers would be able to take "necessary decisions" at their scheduled meeting on Monday.

Tel Aviv – Date: 24^th and 28^th of March, 2012.  – This delegation is open to all sectors however promising areas for investment, trade and technology commercialisation include:

 

Pharmaceuticals

Life Sciences

Chemicals

ICT

Financial & Professional Services

Creative Industries

F & B

Renewable Energy

Travel & Tourism

 

Saudi & Qatar- Riyadh & Doha

Date: 13^th and 18^th of April, 2012. 

Eligible enterprises include:

Manufacturers

Service providers

Licensing and Franchising

Companies seeking joint ventures and strategic alliances

Technology Transfer

Companies seeking R&D opportunities

 

Companies seeking to import finished products are NOT eligible.

 

As part of its assistance Malta Enterprise will endeavour to set-up one-to-one meetings for participants through its institutional networks. Malta Enterprise will also refund eligible participants up to 60% of flight costs and a per diem allowance. Refund is for one representative per participating company.

Application forms together with a €250 deposit should be sent to Malta Enterprise if you intend to participate. This deposit will be fully refunded together with the financial assistance referred to above after the event. In cases where a company cancels its participation, any cancellation costs incurred by Malta Enterprise on behalf of the company will be deducted for this deposit.

For a copy of the application form and draft programme of visit kindly contact Abigail @ GRTU or Malta Enterprise.

Why did you become an entrepreneur? I inherited the business through my family How have you come to chose your line of business? I grew in it since it was in the family so I never really thought about it, the line I currently operate in was always a part of me

Where did you go on your last holiday?

Rome and I truly enjoyed their cuisine

What is your earliest memory?

During my school days

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

Tumas Fenech because I think he was such a great business man

GRTU is fully in agreement with the European Commission on the need to work longer by creating a better balance between time spent in work and retirement, and the need for individuals to save more by developing complementary private retirement savings, however caution should be applied when revising the so-called Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision (IORP) rules.

 

The proposals put forward by the European Commission's White Paper setting out an agenda for adequate, safe and sustainable pensions must avoid raising the cost of occupational pensions for employers and workers. Against a background of an ageing population and a difficult macroeconomic context, the roadmap outlines 20 measures to secure the financial sustainability and adequacy of pensions in the long run.

GRTU is concerned about the announced revision of the rules regulating and supervising IORP such as pension funds. By all means, the revision should not make these schemes more expensive and less attractive, while taking better into account the national IORP specificities. The focus should be on promoting appropriate incentives for employers and employees to invest in occupational pension schemes. Doing otherwise would discourage small businesses from offering supplementary pension schemes to their employees, making it increasingly difficult for them to attract the skilled workforce they need. The debate on the portability of pension rights should focus first and foremost on tax and fiscal obstacles.

The sustainability, adequacy and safety of pensions in Europe are clearly at risk due to an increasing old-age dependency ratio and pressure on public budgets. The White Paper is therefore a clear call on Member States to deliver structural reforms of pensions systems and of the labour market where necessary. While pension policy must remain the prerogative of Member States, the Commission's warning is more than reasonable at this stage.

We support the Commission's stance on the need for longer working lives to achieve a better balance between time spent in work and retirement. Raising the effective retirement age in line with longevity and avoiding early exits from the labour market is indispensable, as much as increasing the overall labour market participation. At the same time, individuals should be encouraged to save more. That is why the Commission's proposal to further develop complementary private retirement savings is an important step towards diffusing risks and securing future pension entitlements.

The Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) would like to remind all those employers, including self-employed persons, who have applied for funding under the Training Aid Framework, that they can claim the reimbursement of the expenses they incurred on training their employees once the training programme is completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through the Training Aid Framework, ETC is giving financial assistance to those companies that invest in the training of their workforce. The training can be a course at the University of Malta or at a foreign university.  This can even lead to a PhD.  Self-employed persons are also eligible. Each company is eligible for a maximum of €250,000 each year.  The subsidy varies according to the type of training and the size of the enterprise.  The Training Aid Framework is partially funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) of the European Union.

Employers awaiting payment of the training grant are urged to contact the ETC on 2220 1312 or by email at and they will be guided how to claim their funds.

 

On the 27th of January DG SANCO published the EU Consumer Market Monitoring Survey 2011. The survey was carried out by the market research company GfK Group in spring 2011 and covers both food and non-food within the goods markets and both regular services and one-off services.

 

The aim of the survey is to assess consumer experiences and the perceived conditions of 51 consumer markets, out of which 21 are classified as goods markets and 30 as service markets. The survey is intended to provide information for the Consumer Market Scoreboard and help the Commission to identify markets that are perceived and experienced as not delivering the desired outcomes for consumers with purchasing experience.

According to the survey the performance of both the goods markets and the services markets is nearly identical to the results in the 2010 survey; citizens perceive and experience the functioning of the services and goods markets similar to the previous year. In general, the services markets are performing less well than the goods markets. However, there are indications that the difference in the performance between the services and the goods markets is decreasing but this needs to be confirmed in future surveys.

The survey shows that just over half of the EU citizens find it easy to compare products or services. This is a slight increase compared to 2010 and is mainly due to an improved perception of comparability in the goods markets. It is concluded that further work is needed to make it easier for consumers to compare products or services in a simple, objective and reliable way.

The survey reveals that consumers' trust is still a problem as it obtains the lowest score of all components. However, the work on increasing consumers' trust is efficient as the scores on trust are slightly increasing.

According to the survey the majority of consumers do indicate to have received the services or products as they desired and just over 10% of consumers experience a problem with a service or product or a supplier/retailer. The goods markets are scoring better than the services markets as fewer problems are encountered in the goods markets. Of the consumers who do experience a problem, almost 20% do not complain although they feel that they have a legitimate reason to complain. The survey concludes that the most likely reason for consumers not to complain is due to the fact that the problem is not that important or of only small value.

The full report can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/docs/EC_Market_Monitoring_2011_en.pdf

Attakk bla sens mill-GWU fuq il-GRTU: Id-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU kategorikament jichad l-insinwazzjonijiet tas-Segretarju Generali tal-GWU – Fil-program "Affari Taghna" li ser jixxandar illejla fuq l-istazzjon ONE illum il-Gimgha 17 ta' Frar, is-Segretarju Generali tal-GWU Tony Zarb, jattakka bl-aktar mod insensat lid-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU Vince Farrugia, f'attentat car u bla sens li jcekken il-kredibilita' tal-GRTU u d-Direttur Generali ta' l-istess GRTU. Tony Zarb jinsinwa li d-Direttur Generali tal- GRTU f'laqgha tal-MCESD ghajjar lill-haddiema ‘grieden'. Id-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU jichad dan bl-aktar mod kategoriku.

 

Il-GRTU ssostni li is-Segretarju Generali tal-GWU qieghed, bla ebda etika ta' xejn jikwota bl-addocc minn dak li ntqal waqt diskussjoni fl-MCESD. Skond l-etika u skond ir-regolamenti ta' l-istess MCESD, diskussjonijiet u l-minuti tal-MCESD huma kunfidenzjali u dan biex kull diskussjoni tkun libera. Id-diskors li qieghed ikun ikwotat minn Tony Zarb hu diskors tad-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU li kien immirat kontra l-attitudni negattiva u zbaljata tal-GWU li tmaqdar biss u teqred il-hin kollu dwar l-avvanz ekonomiku u socjali li qieghed jaghmel pajjizna li skond il-GRTU qieghed isir bil-ghan car li jaqta' n-nifs lin-nies fin-negozju u jwerwer lill-konsumaturi milli jixtru u lis-self employed milli jinvestu. Id-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU sostna fl-MCESD, u ghadhu jsostni, f' isem il-GRTU li qieghda ssir hsara kbira lill-kummerc f'Malta u l-image ta' Malta barra minn Malta, meta l-GWU jaghmlu attakki bla sens u kontinwi fuq dak li qieghed jakwista pajjizna fil-qasam tax-xoghol u ta' l-avvanz ekonomiku fi zminijiet difficli ghaz-zona tal-Ewro u ghall-hafna pajjizi Ewropej akbar minn Malta.

Id-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU kritika ukoll lil GWU ghall-kampanja li qed taghmel biex tattira lis-self employed biex jidhlu fil-GWU dan wara li l-GWU kienet ilha ghexiren ta' snin tajjar lis-self employed Maltin bhala evasuri tat-taxxi u hallelin u tinstiga biex l-awtoritajiet jibghatulhom l-inspectors u jsallbuhom.

Kien f'dan il-kuntest li d-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU kien iebes fil-konfront tal-GWU u accenna li post fil-GRTU ghal min jevadi u jinnegozja b'mod illicidu ma hemmx u li dawn it-tip ta ‘grieden' jekk trid tehodhom il-GWU affari taghhom. Qatt u fl-ebda kuntest id-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU, jew xi wiehed mill-mexxejja tal-GRTU, ma jasal li b'xi mod ikun insulenti lejn il-haddiema. L-istabilimenti u l-intraprizi li jmexxu l-imsiehba tal-GRTU jiddependu, l-ewwel u qabel kollox mil-hila u inizjattiva' tas-sidien li jmexxuhom, imma jridu ta' kuljum mil-abilita' u l-entuzjazzmu tal-haddiema taghhom. Il-GRTU temmen li huwa bl-isforz ta' kulhadd, sidien, haddiema u Gvern, li l-pajjizna nistghu ngibuh il-quddiem.

Ghalhekk li l-GRTU u d-Direttur Generali Vince Farrugia jichdu l-insilwazzjoni li qieghed jaghmel is-Segretarju Generali tal-GWU. Id-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU illum fetah proceduri fil-Qorti biex l-abbuz min naha tas-Segretarju Generali tal-GWU jigi mrazzan u fil-granet li gejjin ser jiehu passi biex il-verita' kollha tinstema' fil Qorti fi proceduri ta' libel.

GRTU has written to the Malta Resources Authority, the Planning & Priorities Coordination Division and the Enemalta following a meeting held at GRTU on Friday 27^th January, where the renewable energy section within GRTU met to discuss issues which are concerning our members. In the letter GRTU asked to meet the authorities concerned to discuss points that require their attention.

 

The most important issues that arose and will be discussed where:

Setting up of guidelines so as to make renewable energy more attractive for Maltese citizens to invest in such technologies

Establishing timeframes for rebates, installing electricity meters and feed in tariffs

Creating a one-stop-shop so as to eliminate a lot of problems to both consumers and retailers

Installation periods for photovoltaic schemes

Commencing of discussion so as to stabilize a new PV Grant Scheme – It was agreed that new scheme shouldbe introduced even if all installations have not yet been completed.

Possible available funding forthe newgrant scheme

Augmentation of feed in tariff according to how much electricity is generated and produced

Recognizing domestic accounts as residential

GRTU should be meeting the authorities in the coming weeks to discuss.

 

GRTU wrote to Valletta mayor Alexei Dingli to draw his attention once again to a situation that has persisted for too long and keeps repeating itself. GRTU clearly told the mayor that it is totally unacceptable that when there is an event or special occasion in Valletta permissions are given out to operators that do not hold a permanent license to operate in Valletta in direct competition with licence holders that have made a significant investment in Valletta, pay salaries to their employees with fixed employment and are tax complaint.

 

When there are events or special occasions, instead of giving the opportunity to Valletta shop owners to make up for the very hard days they are currently experiencing, permissions are given to competitors operating from shabby stalls, have not invested a cent in the city of Valletta, operate under very poor standards, employ precarious workers and are in complete disregard of taxation.

The stalls are placed in front of their premises even though they are in direct competition with them, sometimes their own suppliers. We remind you that there exists a law on sale from hawkers and similar temporary operators.

The only excuse given by the Valletta Local Council is that the operators given permission are those sponsoring events and are therefore given freedom to subcontract to 3^rd parties, this is not always the case and in any case this is no excuse. The question is beyond any form of control so much so that "foreign" operators are opening up in the streets of Valletta in disrespect of any taxation laws.

GRTU urged the mayor to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and desist from further creating this scenario.

GRTU also informed Ministers Jason Azzopardi, Mario De Marco and Karm Mifsud Bonnici of this communication and immediately received the backing of honorable Azzopardi stating that he fully endorsed the position expressed by the GRTU.