Author: SME Chamber

The GRTU, Malta Chamber for SMEs, has recently participated in a conference to debate and stimulate progress on the advancing issues for gender equality identified at the European Commission.  

During the first session the Commission presented for debate the 'Strategy for equality between men and women (2010 – 2015)', within  which this strategy is and will  be implemented. The Conference also discussed in detail the priorities for gender equality policies at European level and the new challenges for gender equality in the 21st century.

The conference discussed the Equal economic independence and the contribution of women in  achieving the Europe 2020 targets. Discussed in detail were the causes and consequences of the current employment rate of women in the context  of the employment target set by Europe 2020 Strategy for smart sustainable  and inclusive growth. It also explored ideas and initiatives to progress the employment rate of women within the Europe 2020 strategy with comparisons between European and international initiatives.

The Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value, responding to uunequal pay was presented for discussion.This session discussed the obstacles to advancing equal pay for women and men, the responses required to unequal pay and the case for action on this issue. It explored ideas and initiaties to advance equal pay between women and men. The International comparative approaches in the field of equal pay policies, addressing the gender pay gap and the point of view of the European Social Partners were discussed in detail.

A debate took place about the life cycle perspective on economic equality for women and men. It examined the causes and consequences of gender inequalities in the sharing of caring responsabilities, the impact of parenthood and the impact of demographic ageing. It also explored ideas and initiatives to advance gender equality in these areas over the lifecycle. In detail also discussed were; the sharing care responsabilities between women and men; women and men's careers: the impact of parenthood and the demographic ageing and the shared consequences between women and men.

The last session commenced by discussing the dignity, integrity and an end to gender-based violence eliminating all forms of gender-based violence. This session presented for debate the levels, forms and sources of violence against women and the responses developed to these issues. It explored ideas and initiatives to advance the struggle to eliminate all forms of gender based violence by discussing violence against women in Europe, combating violence against women and domestic violence, the gender aspect of the European anti-trafficking policy and also the NGO's actions for Women's dignity.

The Equality in decision making: diverse approaches for gender balanced corporate boards were also discussed and diverse instruments were presented to improve the gender balance in corporate boards such as the quota legislation: an effective tool to make rapid progress, the self-regulatory measures to promote gender balanced boards and an example of good practice by the corporate sector.

The participants came from many different countries within and outside Europe. Participants included Public Sector Officials, MEP's, Researchers, Representatives from NGO's, Ombudsman, Trade Union Officials and Representatives and others. The Conference was attended by approximately four hundred participants.

Green mt has from July 01, 2009 to End June 2011 recovered 23, 726 tons of recyclable materials from 41 Local Councils and a large number of commercial establishments. It is an  outstanding achievment in the period. The communities of 41 Local Councils across Malta and Gozo were essential in finally providing such a recovery.

Green mt has to date 1321 registered members to the Scheme. It is to be noted that the Scheme had 13 members in 2009, 120 in 2010, 329 by end March 2011. The figure of 1000 members has been reached after an agreed sustainability programm agreed between MEPA , the Competent Authority , and both Waste Packaging Compliance Schemes aimed to make sure these operations continue to be built on a sound footing.

The volume of packaging waste registered with Green mt is now just over 20, 000 tons annually. The total volume of packaging currently placed in the market by producers( importers)  for 2011 is estimated at 90,000 tons. This means that although we now have over 1321 members, there are still many others who are either still out there and registered with MEPA and  not paying an Authorised Scheme  . The Scheme, Green mt at present has 23% of all packaging waste placed on the market.

A number of new registrations are producers who currently pay Eco Contribution and as from Monday 3rd October 2011 they can  apply for exemption from Eco Contribution. To date we have noted that  an addittional 50 members are liable to an Eco Contribution Exemption. The Scheme currently has 66 members who are exempt from Eco Contribution and as thus the figure will soon rise to 116 out of 1321 members. Thus only 9% of the Scheme members are liable to Exemption.

However an assesment is being made to outline the volume of packaging waste placed in the market from these 121 members and the percentage of weight this represents in respect to the total current market placement.

The Scheme continues to provide operations in 41 Local Councils. Agreements with some of these Local Councils will terminate at the end of 2011 and we are now working on an internal strategy in respect to servicing localities in the future. We have increased our efforts in both collection strategies and also cleaning of Bring in Sites which seems to be the problem most noticed by the Local Councils.  However we need the support of Wasteserv to make these operations viable.

In Gozo , Green mt has changed its cleaning and upkeep strategy of Bring In Sites and the change has already given the desired results. We always keep in mind the concept of delivering a service to our communities, be they small or large. However changes in strategies come at a cost to Green mt and sustainability of the operation is also a primary target.

Green mt utilises only Wasteserv Authorised facilities for its operation. Wasteserv need to understand that they need to be able to function efficiently if they expect Green mt or any other Scheme to continue to work with them. Green mt is blunt. Currently there seems to be no end to the gross inefficiencies at Wasteserv. Wasteserv cannot expect the business community to shoulder either its inefficiences or the results of decisions taken in the past.  In Malta, Green mt provides over 78% of all material recyclables received at Waste serv Malta Limited. Green mt already recovers 40% of its materials from segregated sources, but if in so doing Green mt does not obtain a financial benefit, then something must be really going wrong at Wasteserv.

Green mt backed by the business community will not pay for what goes on at Wasteserv. Green mt will not be made to pay for services provided from its nose. Green mt will not succumb due to the inefficiences of Wasteserv.

Wasteserv is a Government owned company and as such finally whatever is happening at Wasteserv is the responsability of Government. It is not fair that choices and decisions taken in the past now have to be burdened by the business community in financial terms……we will stand up to be counted when the day of reckoning comes…and that hopefully is not far away!

The Gas distributors organised within GRTU have to date been left in the dark as to where their future lies. Currently GRTU awaits eagerly the publication of amendments to Legal Notice 249 of 2008. It was in itself this Legal Notice in the first place, back in October 2008, that placed the distributors in no man's land. It is  a part of history and now whoever was responsable for that Legal Notice seems adamant to move the clockwork backwards.

GRTU insists on a decision to be taken as soon as possible as currently distributors are under pressure from both companies who have authorisation to distribute LPG cylinders in the market.

The companies, both Liquigas and Easygas continue to insist with Government that their authorisations should hold water. In the meantime they want distributors to work under their own conditions , whatever those conditions are. It is of course not acceptable. The distributors had a licence and a valid agreement. They do not want compensation. They want work and more work, anything else will fail to satisfy their families at the end of the month. Taking ages to decide on such an issue is not the right way forward. It might not be an easy decision, but this is Malta and we need to make sure that any decision taken is for the better of the end customer who for years unending has been serviced by a Gas Distributor.

GRTU Director General Vincent Farrugia as representative of Maltese employers at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) spoke on Monday 12^th September at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Transport Category of EESC in Brussels. Within the Transport Category Mr Farrugia represents Maltese transport categories on the current situation in the Mediterranean with particular reference to the importance of new investment in transport infrastructure as an essential tool to help the European economies meet the threat of slow growth and weak economic development.

Mr Farrugia said that his organisation, the Malta Chamber of SMEs, has taken particular interest in the importance of the EU investing more specifically in the whole European transport infrastructure and in support of improved transport infrastructure connecting the EU Member States with the countries neighbouring the EU. Vincent Farrugia emphasised particularly the importance of improved connections with the countries who desperately seek to prove that the democratisation process leads to better economic standards for all.  Fostering better economic and commercial relationships with these countries is now more important than ever before and direct investment in the necessary transport infrastructure will benefit both the EU Member States who themselves seek new investment to provide jobs and economic growth as well as these North African and Middle East countries as they seek to create new job opportunities for their masses of unemployed persons. The North African countries that are now struggling to democratize and reform their economies on free enterprise principles and modern economic development look for new investments that make the Euro-Med economic dream come true.

Vince Farrugia said that the transport network in Europe, especially road, rail and sea transport has remained practically the same for decades and investment has not matched the requirements of an enlarged Europe and an extended common frontier with important economic regions. The full economic potential of the enlarged Europe and the extended frontier has not been redeemed as it should have been as the investment in transport infrastructure has been limited and as a result great economic possibilities for growth, new productive investment and new and great employment possibilities have been lost. Mr Farrugia emphasised that the time for investment for the future and to redeem the mistakes of the past is now. He said that history has shown that investment in the infrastructure is in reverse proportion to the figures for economic growth in Europe. As long as things look bright the interest in new investment in the infrastructure is lukewarm and investment depends on what EU member states can afford to include in their capital budgets. As the economic recession struck and the importance of budget deficit control become more urgent, investment in transport infrastructure suffered even further.

Indeed the situation should be reversed with urgency as new investment in infrastructure is not only important to revive the economy of many European Regions and lift consumer demand as the disposable income of the unemployed and economically deprived sections of the population rise, but it is in itself an essential step for the implementation of the new Transport Roadmap with the emphasis on new decarbonisation of transport targets by 2030. The new infrastructure investment must reach out to meet the shortfalls in connectivity with the neighbouring countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the North African side of the Mediterranean. Particular and immediate attention should be given to the countries in North Africa and the Middle East that are struggling to democratise and foster better and more advantageous economic links with the member states of the European Union. The EU cannot just stare at the challenge ahead. 

This is the time to invest in the infrastructure, emphasised Vince Farrugia, as the recession that many thought was over is still with us and the economic rebound at the level that is necessary to put back Europe at the rate of growth that we all desire will not happen if we continue to face the future with the tools of yesterday. The European Union needs to provide the necessary means so that the financing could materialise. When the crises hit, the European Union , almost overnight, funded the financial institutions for up to five thousand billion Euro, money that little of which translated into direct investment that generates economic growth and productive employment. Now the strategy must change and the EU must provide the incentives and guaranties so that the billions of investments that are needed can be provide by the financial institutions without risking a new wave of deficit financing by governments who may opt for public direct investments instead of financing the transport infrastructure investments needed through increases in the public debts of Member States.

It is essential that this massive investment programme is financed by new financing mechanisms. The European Union must be the catalyst that provides the necessary stimulus package geared towards specific lines of investment and the transport infrastructure must appear as a top priority. The stimulus package this time round should create the right incentives and guarantees necessary   for the financial institutions to be willing to provide the billions in funds that are needed to finance a massive programme of new investments. With the right support and the appropriate loan guarantees the financial institutions could do for the transport category what they did for property development in the pre-recession years. In those years the financial institutions created the massive credit mountain at the expense of the mortgages of millions of householders. Before the crisis they caused a never ending boom in the property markets using the investments of millions of people throughout the globe to create a bubble of credit that lead to a financial crisis that the world has never witnessed before. This time round credit must be created with the support of the authorities, but not to create bubbles but to provide for the stability of the future.

Simply supporting the financial institutions through financial stimulus packages as happened when the crisis hit hard and at level of financing never before dreamt of is not good enough as the financial institutions will, and this has been proved, not invest necessarily in what is socially and economically desirable, but in what is profitable for them. For them to invest and provide credit to sectors like transport infrastructure they need the guarantees of government or the support of special financial instruments. Europe must act, through new schemes of financing. The European Union can create a revolution in transport infrastructure that would bring forth new investment in civil engineering projects and new plants and transport systems in air, road, rail and sea transport. The challenge is large but the economic potential is tremendous.

At the end of the discussion the Transport Category invited Vincent Farrugia to present a Paper in the next Transport Category meeting in October detailing the specific requirements of transport investment in the centre of the Mediterranean with particular emphasis on the urgent need to rebuild the infrastructure that connects with Libya.

Scope

The proposal revises the legislation on foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses covered by Directive 2009/39/EC the so-called ‘Framework Directive on dietetic foods'. Foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses are foods that are different from foods for normal consumption and are, as currently regulated, specially manufactured products intended to satisfy the particular nutritional requirements of specific categories of the population. The designation under which a dietetic food is sold is accompanied by a suitability statement for the particular nutritional use and the specific group of the population to whom the food is intended, e.g.: gluten-free food for celiac people, processed cereal-based food for young children, infant formulae for infants from birth etc. The evolution of both the food market and food legislation makes an overall revision necessary. The application of the broad concept of "foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses" on which the Framework Directive is based in the evolved market and legal context has led to considerable problems for stakeholders and controlling authorities. The classification of many foods as 'dietetic' foods and the need for such a category of foods has been seriously questioned, although the desirability of maintaining rules on certain specific categories of foods actually addressing nutritional benefits for certain sub-groups of the population is being recognized.

Consequently, in pursuing the objectives of better regulation and simplification, the proposal aims to rectify this situation by simplifying and clarifying the rules that apply to products regulated as 'dietetic' foods, taking into account the evolution of the regulatory measures in relevant areas.

Main changes being proposed

The proposal simplifies and clarifies legal requirements applying to certain categories of foods and establishes a single list of substances that may be added to the foods ('Union list') covered by this proposal. In particular, it:

• provides a new general Framework legislation applying to well-defined categories of foods that have been identified as essential for certain well-established groups of consumers with specific nutritional needs;
• establishes a clear and defined scope of application;
• maintains specific measures for categories of foods that are essential for certain groups of the population;
• lays down general rules as regards the composition and labelling applying to these categories of foods;
• removes differences in interpretation and difficulties for Member States and operators in applying different pieces of food legislation by simplifying the regulatory environment;
• removes the burdens associated with the notification procedure;
• ensures that similar products are treated in the same way across the Union;
• removes rules that have become unnecessary, contradictory and potentially conflicting;
• establishes a single legal measure for substances that can be added to the foods covered by this proposal.

For further detail, you are kindly requested to consult the attached proposal itself.

Comments

Your comments regarding this consultation document and the attached proposal are kindly being requested. Comments are to reach the Regulatory Affairs Directorate within the Technical Regulations Division, in writing or via email by Friday 23^rdSeptember 2011

Should any further information be required kindly contact the Regulatory Affairs Directorate of the Technical Regulations Division within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, using the following contact details:

Tel no: +(356) 2395 2000 Fax no.: +(356) 21 242406

Email:

Kutrumbajsa Kids and Youth Arts Festival is the first international festival of performing arts targeting children in Malta. It will be held between Monday 14^th November and Sunday 20^th November 2011 in a variety of localities in Valletta.

Venues include –  St James Cavalier, Manoel Theatre, MITP, Auberge d'Italie, Auberge de Castille, the President's Palace, Private Palaces and St George's Square

The festival caters performances for Kids and Youths within the 0 – 15 years range. Targeted age groups: 0 – 4 yrs, 2 – 4 yrs, 3+, 6+, 8+, 11+ There is a specific performance specially designed for children with special needs.

Participants hail from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Malta

The structure of the festival is as follows:

• Monday to Friday – morning shows for school children
• Monday to Friday – evening shows open to the general public
• Saturday and Sunday – shows all day open to the general public
• The luminarium in St George's Sqaure will have the following opening hours:

09:00 – 13:00 & 16:00 – 19:00 week days

10:00 – 19:00 weekends

The festival has a multi performance structure, that is there will be various events happening at the same time. All events are free of charge

Why the festival?

Because the performing arts are extremely important for the development of children

• It stimulates their creativity
• It helps them make sense of their emotions; it develops
• their ability to understand
• It allows them to face their fears in a safe environment
• It challenges their preconceptions about the world in which
• they live
• It develops their aesthetic sense
• It develops their language and communication skills
• It introduces them to new ideas and allows them to express opinions

How has it come about?

The festival is under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Malta, who very enthusiastically set the ball rolling for the creation of this international arts festival.

The organisation has been entrusted to St James Cavalier, Centre for Creativity, with the artistic direction of Sarah Spiteri.

The ideas and discussions have been going around for years, but never quite took off for a variety of reasons until now!

This is a very exciting moment…the creation of a children's festival is based on energy, fantasy, a target of excellence and a major objective to portray the performing arts with all the different disciplines, as a fun experience for the kids and youths. 

Rosanne Galea – Managing Director Future Focus

Why did you become an entrepreneur? I grew tired of working for other people and so I decided to become my own boss.

How have you come to chose your line of business?

I am qualified in that line of business

Where did you go on your last holiday?

To Italy. The thing that impressed me the most was the Country side.

What is your earliest memory?

I was 3 years old when my sister was born.

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

Richard Branson – A famous entrepreneur.

The new bus schedules and practical running experience is definitely positive. Only the very ambitious expected that in July the complete overhaul of Malta's public transport system would immediately go in perfect synchronisation. Has anything in Malta ever been perfect? Definitely not the busing system.

Malta's old bus system was probably the worst in the whole of Europe, more a resemblance of Africa and the poorest Latin American countries than anything that by any stretch of the imagination can be called European. GRTU struggled hard to obtain for the self-employed bus owners of the old system the best compensation package possible and would have loved to extend its knowledge and expertise to assist the new system to develop a service that meets the best interests of commuters and business operators in the various commercial centres spread throughout Malta.

Unfortunately the consultation did not work well. The fault, if we are really honest, is of all of us. We all knew that the big change was coming but most of us never bothered. We at GRTU raised a long list of issues from various districts based on consultations we held independently of Government. We could only act on the issues that were raised with us. The vast majority however did not bother. Even Local Councils failed to give this important issue the top priority it should have been given. There were mayors who only looked at the disk showing how the new public transport system was going to affect their locality only when the new system started and complaints started coming in.  Whatever the process when the system started, the failures of lack of proper consultations began to surface. Many of these issues have now been dealt with in the second phase of the bus reform announced as of 11/09. The system is still not perfect. In addition to the many great advantages of the new system when compared the horrible old system the whole schedule now is much better. It is still not perfect and we do not believe it will be perfected in the absence of at least one full year experience. But let us all be honest. We have now a system of busing that makes little Malta proud. New buses that are air-conditioned and of top class quality and no comparison to the old bone shakes of only a year ago, for most people who travel and are used to the efficient electronically supported systems in all of Europe the new buses make us proud.

The system adopted and the new time-tables are nothing different from those that British, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Swiss tourists are used to in their own countries. That is why tourists do not join in the organised anti-Arriva frenzy that some people and organisations have taken on board just to say something. GRTU is not in this clique. We have no political agenda to push forward. We are not anti-Arriva or anti anything. We make our views felt and get results because our system is very clear: we hear the complaints, we negotiate and present our views to the authorities and make proposals and insist on solutions. If they do not listen to us or act funny with us we go public and have no mercy towards anyone.

On Busing we made our criticism, we made our proposals based on what our members tell us and we got results. There is more to be done. But GRTU will not act stupid and go out critisising and damning what is an excellent investment backed by a tremendous endeavoUr to get things done right. We are not part of any orchestrated campaign to keep saying things are wrong when they are not. We hold surveys and we see with our own eyes. Things have improved substantially. Public transport today is of much higher quality both in equipment and manpower and service, there is still ground for improvements and we continue to strive to help Arriva give us an even better service. We must however be honest and we will refrain from looking stupid like some others are doing by simply denying which is an obvious tactic to look pretty. What we see and practice is a public transport system that improves by the week and can only get better.

The discussion on Budget 2012 has now started. The Pre-Budget outlining Governments intentions have been published in August and all those genuinely interested in seeing that our country gets the best of whatever resources are available to our elected Government within the framework of the current world and European economic scenario, have studied this document and drafted their recommendations.

Many alas as usual stayed put. They will only come out when someone pulls the string and orders them to act. GRTU as usual addressed its members in the various sections of businesses and enterprises and drew its own pack of proposals. GRTU through the active participation of its Director General in the discussions at European level is aware of the framework in which the Maltese authorities have to work in view of the new budgetary surveillance mechanism imposed on EU Member States following the worst economic crisis that hit Europe and more specifically the Eurozone. GRTU is also well versed in economic affairs and sufficiently knowledgeable on their impact of investment by small enterprises within the limited small Maltese economy. On the basis of our specific expertise GRTU came out with a number of conclusions and these have already been presented to Government. The first important opportunity was this week's MCESD meeting where representatives of workers` trade unions and leaders of enterprise presented their first reactions to the pre-budget document to the Minister of Finance who by the end of October must present his national financial package to the nation.

In his address to MCESD Vince Farrugia Director General of GRTU Malta Chamber of SMEs declared that GRTU wants to see a Budget that is strong on capital investment. He said that the economic analysis of the years since 2008 show that Government failed to continue to strengthen it's capital budget to match the shortfall gross capital formation suffered by the private sector as demand was driven down by the recession. Vince Farrugia said that it was terribly wrong for Government to have allowed that gross fixed capital formation in 2008 fall by 25.5% and in 2009 suffer another drop of 18.6% without having this matched by increased public capital investment. Indeed as capital investment began again to grow in 2010 by an increase of 10% and another increase that should be in the region of 11% by end 2011 the overall employment situation improved. Government is now projecting capital formations to grow only by an additional 3% in 2012. The schemes that have been put into action by Government through Malta Enterprise and other Government authorities like the Malta Resources Authority and the Malta Tourism Authority have helped to generate this growth but much more needs to be done.

Many of our enterprises in all sectors are aging and overall we have a shortage of employment so we need to invest more, and with urgency, in new technologies and new systems. This applies both to the public and to the private sector. We cannot compete in a new post recession Europe unless we change and re-invest. This is the time when we have to invent in new incentives to cause the financial institutions to give greater and wider access to finance to enterprises who want to invest and renovate. In addition, Government must be willing not only to invest in new public sector infrastructural projects that help renovate and modernise Malta but must also be willing to help enterprise and support the financial institutions by producing an extended loan guarantee scheme to cause more and more enterprises to invest. The loan guarantee scheme has been the most successful scheme ever introduced to support small and medium enterprises. There are so many enterprises that want to expand and change but cash flow in a period of recession and the immediate post recession period are scarce and opportunities are lost because the finance is absent. Now is the time for Government to be bold and plan for a strong revival in capital investment. "This is the main message of GRTU for Budget 2012" Vince Farrugia emphasised. There is much to be done and GRTU will be presenting details of its proposals in the coming few weeks. The message of Government should be very clear: money for increases in current expenditure is simply not available. Money for investment is available. The deficit will fall because cuts will be implemented so waste is diminished and better use of public moneys are made but the emphasis is on new capital formation. New incentives for the private sector and new forms of financing for large new public sector infrastructural projects is what makes Malta more competitive.

"Government should not face any problems with the new corrective measures demanded by the EU in their drive to cut on Member States budget deficits if the strategy is one based on investment in new capital formation that enables Malta's GDP to grow in real terms and sustain Malta's problems with economic imbalances." Vince Farrugia stressed. The multiplier effect of tax reduction and expenditure reduction is limited but in Malta capital investment has a multiplier of at least three to five times that of cuts in taxation like VAT. "We need to go for growth. The budget deficit ratio to GDP will fall the higher the growth rate of our GDP", concluded Vince Farrugia. "so lets go for growth, that's what our people urge you to do".