Author: SME Chamber

Why did you become an entrepreneur? I became an entrepreneur because my family has been entrepreneurs for generations. Another reason is that I have a problem with  working for people. I always believe that the creation of value by running a business is not just beneficial to myself, but to the families of employees and ultimately the country.

 

How have you come to chose your line of business?

I failed as a medical student. So I did the next best thing. I chose the medical business because it's a fascinating business. The building side of the business is however in the blood!

Where did you go on your last holiday?

Paris. It's such a fantastic city. But nothing beats London. It's a city for everyone. I feel so alive there.

What is your earliest memory?

My earliest memory is going with my father to our quarry for the first time, and being fascinated by the machinery.

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

I would like to have been a combination of the artistic Picasso and the creative innovation of Steve Jobs !

A new online portal to help young entrepreneurs start and grow their own business was launched on 17 November by the Employers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), in which GRTU's Director General is member representing employers.

 

The website is a joint initiative of the EESC and the European Commission. It addresses policy failings in the promotion of entrepreneurship, especially among young people and women. The Global Entrepreneur Envoy online portal "Entrepreneur Envoy" will offer tools to foster culture change and promote entrepreneur-friendly policies. The launch took place on 17 November 2011 during the third edition of the "Young European Entrepreneurs' Seminar", hosted by the president of the Employers' Group of the EESC, Henri Malosse. The event featured contributions from 52 active young entrepreneurs from 18 European countries.

Mr Malosse said: "We want to develop a new vision of the entrepreneurial spirit, allowing Europeans to create wealth and build on a European identity. I truly believe in the power of water droplets accumulating to achieve great things. We can achieve anything if we pool our modest means."

The participants' recommendations the following priorities:

 A European Statute for SMEs (the Statute for a European private company), an EESC initiative

 A unified Europe with a real European government

 Facilitating vocational exchange for young people, in addition to school and university exchange schemes

 A European network of business incubators

 European financing facilities for new initiatives, especially microcredit

 Holding a "Young entrepreneurs' day" to celebrate success

For more information, please contact Milen Minchev by sending an email to:

The Employers' Group is one of the three groups of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a consultative body of the European Union. The EESC enables representatives of business organisations, trade unions, professional associations and civic groups to contribute to the framing of EU policies and decisions."

The European Commission has launched a major Action Programme for reducing administrative burdens (2007-2012). This programme focuses on the information that EU businesses are obliged to provide to public authorities or private parties: information required for legal registration, certification, inspection, subsidy; filing statistical forms; energy labels for consumers or reports to stockholders; etc.

 

The consultation invites entrepreneurs to identify unnecessary red tape in order to help the EU improve the quality of its legislation. The consultation is part of the Action Programme to reduce admin burdens on businesses in the EU by 25% in 2012.

If you feel that you are obliged to provide unnecessary information or that the required information could be provided in a more efficient way, please use this form to submit your suggestions. If you have problems with several pieces of legislation, use preferably a separate form for each piece of legislation.

To access this consultation, please click here:

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/smart-regulation/administrative-burdens/online-consultation/submit-an-idea/index_en.htm

The consultation is very short and contains targeted questions. Each suggestion will be examined by the Commission and every three months the Commission will prepare a summary of these suggestions and an overall feedback on the same site.

Questions and comments on this consultation should be sent to:

Il-GRTU flimkien mall-Kummunita' Kummercjali Naxxarija taghti support shih lill-din l-attivita'. Ghat-tielet sena konsekuttiva l-Kunsill Lokali tan-Naxxar qieghed jorganizza attivita' tal-Milied li l-inawgurazzjoni taghha ser ssir l-Hadd 4 ta' Dicembru 2011. Il-programm ser jigbor fih numru ta' attivitajiet fosthom kant, mmudellar,attivitajiet ghat-tfal bil-partecipazzjoni ta' Santa Clause, diversi bands, kantanti popolari lokali flimkien ma artisti stabbiliti, trackless train u hafna attivitajiet ohra.  

 

Wiehed jrid jifhem li l-preparamenti u l-attivita'  fiha nnifisha joholqu xi ftit tal-inkonvinjenza. Sabiex  jitneħħa kull dubju u tkun iccarata s-sitwazzjoni, wara li kien hemm min ressaq xi ilmenti, nixtieq ninfurmakom li l-Kunsill ser jkun qed jagħmel dak kollu possibli biex inaqqas l-inkonvenjent u/jew xi impatti negattivi li l-preparamenti għall-attività ta' nhar il-Ħadd 4 ta' Dicembru jista' jkollha fuq in-negozju.

Certament li l-għan ewlieni għal x'hiex isiru attivitajiet bħal dawn huma biex jiżidied n-negozju lokali u għalhekk tistgħu isserħu raskom mir-rieda tajba tal-Kunsill li ser jnaqqas kemm jista jkun kull impatt negattiv possibbli. Din id-darba gie mnaqqas l-estent tal-attività biex inkomplu nillimitaw aktar filwaqt li t-traffiku jibqa' jasal sa' aktar vicin tal-attività milli s-soltu jsir. Madanakollu, kif sar dejjem, se tigi llimitata r-restrizzjoni għall-inqas possibli.   

Li se jsir għalhekk huwa dan:  il-Gimgħa 2 ta' Dicembru se jingiebu l-istalls u jkunu armati fin-naħa tat-terminus.  La darba jkunu armati se jitpoggew fi gruppi f'postijiet strategici fejn l-inqas ikun hemm cans li jtellfu l-parkegg.  Jista' jkun li jitpoggew anki fuq bankini minflok fit-triq b'mod li ma jtellfux il-passagg. 

Is-Sibt filgħodu jibda jsir certu armar fuq il-bankini fejn meħtieg filwaqt li t-tpoggija tal-istalls fil-post jibda kmieni wara nofsinhar. 

Il-Ħadd filgħodu jkompli l-armar u jrid ikun hemm il-postijiet kollha indikati fuq il-lista bla parkegg.  Mal-10am se jkun ristrett it-traffiku b'eccezzjonijiet għar-residenti.  It-trasport pubbliku jitħalla għaddej sas-2pm.  Mis-2pm se jkun hemm għeluq totali u jibdew l-attivitajiet.

Il-GRTU tifrah lill-Kunsill u f'isem il-komunita' Kummercjali Naxxarija tawgura li din l-attivita' tkun ta' success bhas snin precedenti.

Last Tuesday GRTU officials met with officials of the Ministry for Infrastructure Transport and Communication following meetings the GRTU held with Valletta retailers. GRTU told the Ministry that the positive but ambitious projects being undertaken within our Capital City have resulted in a serious drop in the sales and turnover of retailers. We cannot hope for the inconvenience to be over soon as the issue is not a seasonal one and the GRTU is seriously worried of the state and the future of the retailers in Valletta. GRTU is therefore trying to find ways to stop the negative trend.

The GRTU therefore proposed for the CVA rules to be adjusted for the upcoming festive season as we believe this is a measure that would help to boost sales. On behalf of its members the GRTU asked the Ministry to waive the CVA charges after 15.30hrs. The Ministry accepted GRTU's proposal and made the announcement public earlier this week.

The GRTU together with the retailers in Valletta will be working on further initiatives that will encourage and attract more locals and tourists to enter Valletta. These initiatives aim at encouraging them to spend more time in the Capital City and the issue of access to Valletta will be dealt with as first priority. The Ministry also said it will support the GRTU in this regard.

GRTU participated today to the European Parliament Citizens Forum organised by the European Parliament Office in Malta. GRTU Director General Vincent Farrugia stated that the choice that the European citizens are presented with, by a large section in the media, especially British media, " most unfortunately the choice is between doom and gloom as a future for Europe" stated Vincent Farrugia.

 

The situation in reality is not as negative as it seems. The answer is gloom only when the problem is not well analysed and a solutions is not available. In the current state of Europe the problem has been analysed and is one of sufficient confidence that motivates markets to buy the sovereign debts of European Governments especially those with macro-economic imbalances, both internal "budget deficits" and external imbalances "economic deficit in the rest of the world". The solution is also identified as the need to provide the money necessary to ensure that all the bonds needed to ensure a return to normality is made available. The practical tools have also been identified.

The euro bond is one obvious solution, but there are other solutions, all more or less a different version of the same. The choice is of tools that will move the funds that are excessive in some countries in Europe and in the rest of the world to those economic areas where the money is most needed. When a problem is analysed and solution is available and the tools to implement the solution are the subject of discussion, then doom should not be a problem.

EU leaders are committed to find the right tools to implement the most practical of solutions. The alternative of the solution being discussed is the breakdown of the monetary union, which should be followed by the breakdown of the economic union. The cost of the breakdown is so excessively large compared to the corrective solutions available that it is obvious that EU leaders will decide in favour of the corrective solutions, as they have committed themselves to do and as they have shown in the implementation of the pro-economic and monetary solutions .

"In my view the predictions of doom and gloom are exaggerated and will not materialise. What is more relevant for us in Malta, and really worth discussing, is the cost of our economy as alternative solutions that are being proposed at EU level" concluded Vincent Farrugia, GRTU's Director General.

Whatever anybody else says, Government's decision to pay from public funds the additional 4 weeks maternity leave to self-employed women is solely due to GRTU. The Prime Minister, Minister for Finance, the Economy and Investment, the Minister for Education, Employment and the Family, the Parliamentary Secretary for Small Businesses and Lands and the Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer, Fair Competition, Local Councils and Public Dialogue know perfectly well and can confirm who lobbied and negotiated hard to ensure that self-employed women are given their rights and the payments due under the new maternity leave regulations.

 

It was under the initiative of GRTU, under professionally presented arguments, that convinced the cabinet of Ministers to include self-employed women under the category of women entitled for the 4 weeks standard pay once the maternity leave effective under Maltese law is extended to 18weeks.

Others may draw shopping lists and express wishful thinking before each year's budget. GRTU draws the strategy within the framework of Government's financial and fiscal constraints, lists its priority projects, calculates and estimates the financial, economic and social impact of its proposals, and bargains hard to obtain what it justly aspires for. That is why GRTU never stands in front of the media and declares something like "we proposed a lot but Government accepted nothing". We rightly say as we already said, once the implications of budget 2012 are unfolding, that we proposed substantial schemes and Government accepted many of our proposals.

GRTU once again thanks the Government high ranking officials for their cooperation and for having welcomed GRTU's claim. The GRTU also again congratulated all self employed women on this important win of the recognition of their rights.

Meta Liquigas xtrat id-divizjoni tal-gass tal-Enemalta kienet taf li se tixtri l-Monopolju tal-gass ta` Malta. Kien ghalhekk li Liquigas ghamlet investiment ta` miljuni ta` euro biex bniet impjant gdid li jipproduci l-gass f'Malta. Liquigas taf li biex l-kapital li investiet ifendi riedet l-ewwel u qabel kollox tgholli l-prezz ta` kull cilindru ghall-tlett darbiet, il-prezz li kien jezisti fi zmien l-Enemalta ghax Liquigas dejjem sostniet, b'mod zbaljat u biex tqarraq li l-prezz tal-gass f'Malta kien irhis wisq.

 

It-tieni ghax il-kalkoli ta` Liquigas  u ta' ohrajn li wkoll kienu thajru jidhlu ghall-privatizazzjoni tal-gass f'Malta kienu u ghadhom juru li bil-volum ta` bejgh ta` gass fic-cilindri kif jezisti f'Malta hu diga difficli biex ifendi impjant ta` produzzjoni wiehed bis-suq kollu ikkapparat mill-produttur tal-gass f'Malta u jkun zgur difficli jkun sostnut bi profitti jekk is-suq jinqasam bejn tnejn jew tlieta jew aktar, aktar u aktar jekk il-kompetituri ma jkollhomx l-obbligu tal-infieq kbir kapitali ta` impjant  li biex ikun ekonomiku bilfors li jrid ikun wiehed li jiswa hafna miljuni. Tghid x'tghid Liquigas hi l-istrategija kummercjali ta` din l-kumpanija li zzomm monopolju effettiv jew dominanza assoluta fis-suq tal-gass f'Malta. U hu appuntu ghalhekk li b'kull mezz u mod qed tiggieled lil kompetitur taghha Easygas.

 

Fejn Liquigas qed tesagera u mhux biss tostor il-fatti imma tigdeb hi fejn jidhlu d-distributuri li kontrihom issa Liquigas wkoll fethet battalja biex tisirqilhom il-ftit profitt li jaghmlu bi tbatija biex iqassmu bieb bieb ic-cilindri tal-gass. Fil-pjan ekonomiku li fasslet Liquigas wkoll riedet monopolju effettiv fid-distribuzzjoni rahal rahal wkoll biex ikollha kontroll vertikalizzat shih u timponi sistema li fasslet hi. Sistema fejn Liquigas tqassam bl-inqas infieq u jkun il-konsumatur li jhallas ghall-kumdita tas-servizz u biex timponi r-rieda taghha Liquigas trid bilfors telimina lid-distributuri ghax taf ben fatt li fil-lokalitajiet m'hemmx spazju ghal zewg jew tlett sistemi ta` distribuzzjoni jikkompetu wiehed ma` l-iehor. Liquigas taf li fl-ahhar mill-ahhar jirbah min hu b'sahhtu kummercjalment u hu l-aktar b'sahhtu min ghandu f'idejh il-produzzjoni u ghandu f'idejh bil-qabda l-akbar numru ta` cilindri u ghalhekk sahha assoluta li jimponi sistema ta` monopolju fis-suq kemm vertikali kif wkoll orizzontali.

 

Il-Liquigas qed tghawweg il-fatti u tinqeda bl-Ufficju tal-Kummerc Gust u ddeffes l-Ewropa fin-nofs bi ksuhat. Malta kienet ibbligata skond ir-regoli ta' l-EU li tilliberalizza l-wholesale (importazzjoni jew produzzjoni) u mhux ir-retail fil-lokalitajiet, Malta ghandha kull dritt taht ir-regoli tal-EU li taghmel dak li dejjem ghamlet li fil- lokalitajiet tizgura li l-ewwel u qabel kollox li kull familja u kull lokalita hi moqdija. Kienet il-Liquigas izda li insistiet meta indunat li hi biss dahhlet ghall-privatizazzjoni li jkollha wkoll mid-dritt li tkisser is-sistema ta distribuzzjoni fil-lokalita u l-gvern ghax beza li jitlef ic-cans li jipprivatizza l-gass halla l-ahhar elezzjoni tghaddi u minn wara dahar id-distributuri bezaq dak li kien miftiehem dwar distribuzzjoni fil-lokalitajiet mal-GRTU.

 

Il-ftehim li hemm mal GRTU huwa kemm kuntratt socjali kif ukoll kuntratt kummercjali. Hu kuntratt socjali ghax hu kuntratt bejn gvern u social partner ewlieni bhal ma hi l-GRTU u jitkellem dwar distribuzzjoni ta` gass fil-komunita. B`dan il-ftehim il-GRTU u d-distributuri individwali ntrabtu li f`kull distrett mghoti b`mod eskluzziv lil kull distributur. Kull distributur irid bla ebda hlas extra jqassam u jwassal sal-bieb cilindri lil kull konsumatur jghix fejn jghix fic-centru tar-rahal jew fl-imbieghed, hu fejn hu u kull distributur irid jaccetta prezz kontrollat tas-servizz tieghu. Il-kuntratt hu wkoll wiehed kummercjali ghaliex jitkellem fuq il-kundizzjonijiet kummercjali ta`kif b`liema hlas trid issir id-distribuzzjoni u hemm rabta kummercjali sakemm id-distributur iwettaq l-obbligi tieghi korretti u l-kumpanija li tissuplixxi, ittih cilindri u servizz bizzejjed biex dawn l-obbligi jkun jista`jwettaqhom, il-kumpanija fornitrici ma` tohrogx hi direttament tikkompeti fil-lokalijiet kontra d-distributuri.

 

IL-Gvern ta` Lawrence Gonzi dan il-kuntratt socjali llum jidher ghall-GRTU li ma jridx jonorah. Ghall gvern ta` Lawrence Gonzi it-theddid u l-manuvrar ta` Liquigas biex timponi l-monopolji kapitali taghha ma jinkwetahx. It-theddida li l-lokalijiet jigu suggettati ghal kompetizzjoni kummercjali fejn min lest li jhallas jinqeda u min hu batut, m`ghandux mezz ta` transport jew ma jiflahx iqandel cilindri jekk ma jhallasx extra ma jinqediex ma tinkwetahx. Il-fatt li kuntratt socjali gie mormi meta kien ilu jkun onorat b`commitment politiku shih minn kull Prim Ministru  mill-1992 sal llum lanqas ma hi inkwetanti.

Il-GRTU ssostni bil-qawwi li kuntratt socjali milhuq wara negozjati twal bejn Gvern u Korp Kostitwit u li qatt ma gie bi ftehim revokat ghandu jkun onorat minn kull Gvern serju. Il-GRTU ssostni wkoll li l-kuntratt kummercjali li kien jorbot lil Enemalta llum jorbot lil Liquigas u li Liquigas bhal socjeta li tippretendi li hi serja ghandha tonora. Fil-fatt id-distributuri huma agenti fil-lokalita ta` Liquigas u jekk trid tehles minnhom jrid ikollha s-serjeta li tinnegozja maghhom mhux b`mod ghal kollox arroganti li f`Malta qatt ma rajna bhalu lanqas biss trid tkellimhom. Il-licenzja li Liquigas tghid li ghandha ma tistax thaddimha b'kompetizzjoni mad-distributuri ghax bil-kuntratt li wirtet min ghand l-Enemalta dik il-licenzja hi subrogati (mghoddija legalment) lid-distributuri. Is-soluzzjoni hi wahda: il-Gvern u Liquigas iridu jirrikonoxxu l-obligazzjonijiet kuntrattwali li ghandhom jieqfu jghaddu in-nies bi zmien  u b' irgulija jerfghu r-responsabiltajiet taghhom lejn id-distributuri u lejn il-komunita.

Single Market Act essential for regaining markets' trust, while Parliament and Council are urged to speed up work – Short-term measures to resolve Europe's economic crisis must be put on a fast track for approval, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament on Tuesday 15 November. "Regaining confidence requires swift and decisive action," he told MEPs.

 

Outlining the Commission's work programme for 2012, which had been approved by the college of commissioners that day, Barroso said that the proposals for economic reform put out late this year and early next year need to be approved quickly by the Parliament and the Council in a single reading. These measures should be passed into national law by the end of 2012, Barroso said.

Among them are the 12 measures contained in what the Commission terms the Single Market Act, which include promoting venture capital funds, a European patent, EU-wide standards for the services sector and improving energy, transport and communications infrastructure.

A fast track should also be given to recently proposed measures focused on financial sector reform, he said. These include already proposed legislation on derivatives, credit-rating agencies, capital requirements, more transparent securities markets and tackling market abuse. The Commission will propose the remaining pieces of legislation to protect investors early in 2012, including a revision of the rules governing collective investment schemes and an initiative on pre-contractual disclosures on complex investment products. The reform should be completed next year.

Ensuring growth

Barroso said long-term strategies to ensure EU growth must also be a part of the work programme next year. The Commission is in particular focusing on the area of revenue, with planned initiatives on energy taxation, a financial transaction tax and increased powers to tackle tax havens.

The work programme also contains plans for proposals on railway liberalisation, consumer rights and cross-border pension reform. Employment proposals will target youth unemployment, promote green jobs, greater flexibility in working hours and reform of the European Employment Service. A strategy on water conservation will be put forward and the Commission will complete the programme to reduce administrative burdens, to find cost savings and cut red tape.

Two legislative proposals will be put forward seeking to facilitate cross-border recognition of civil status documents and to simplify legalisation requirements. Work to create a common EU policy on immigration and asylum will continue, with reforms to Schengen area border-checks put in place. New emission controls for cars and vans will be proposed.

The EU will also push forward on several bilateral trade negotiations, with a possible free-trade agreement with Japan and an investment agreement with China. It will also continue to monitor the situation in the southern Mediterranean, aiming for a peaceful and prosperous development of the new regimes.