Author: SME Chamber

Green MT and GRTU are supporting the efforts of the major and council of Mellieha and the Malta Tourism Authority to establish Malta’s Tourism flagship bay, Mellieha Bay as having blue flag status.

The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to beaches and marinas that comply with a number of criteria designed to ensure that those beaches and marinas awarded the label are working towards sustainable development. The criteria address water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management and safety and other services. The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), an international non-government organization (NGO), is responsible for the Blue Flag Scheme and is represented in Malta by the local environmental NGO, Nature Trust.

It is incredible that none of Malta’s major bays after all these years that Malta has been declared a tourist resort has achieved this status. Green MT is financing a number of students to help monitor the Ghadira Bay environment and encourage bathers to utilise the special separated waste bins, also provided by Green MT.

“Green MT is the business community’s national, not-for-profit compliance scheme and is placing massive effort to help Malta achieve its EU waste management compliance standards. Green MT on behalf of the business community is supporting the Mellieha Local Council and MTA to achieve the Blue Flag Status and Green MT’s presence at Ghadira Bay is another Local Community projectreceiving financial assistance from Green MT. It is important that families enjoying the facilities at Ghadira give their full support to this project”said Vince Farrugia Chariman of Green MT during the media event.

The Director General Vincent Farrugia has instituted complaints for the initiation of criminal proceedings to be taken against the Editor of the daily newspaper “l-Orizzont” in relation to two separate articles, the contents of which constitute blatant libel due to their false contents and deceitful and dishonest accusations together with other very grave insinuations.

The articles in question appeared on the said journal on the 12^th July 2011entitled “Frame-up Pulit?” as well as on the 28^th July 2011 which article was entitled “Qrib Stat Pulizjesk?”.

The Director General is seeking further legal advise in relation to additional actions for libel regarding a spate of unfounded allegations that appeared in select parts of the media over the past days, particularly in relation to the operation of Green MT, GRTU’s subsidiary, which allegations have proven to be entirely unsubstantiated and consequently speculative by the Approving Body and the Competent Authority.

The dirty campaign launched against Green MT by Malta Today and the Labour Party media has caused new enterprises to realise what excellent job Green MT does. Not only is Green MT healthy and well organised but it is a not-for-profit collaborative business community Scheme that keeps growing.

Total Green MT membership at the end of the second week of August has now reached 1230. As Joseph Attard CEO says: “They hit us and we keep growing. Our members and the business community in general know that the stories told are all inventions. And they know Green MT is not afraid of any investigations. On the contrary we want the facts to come out clearly, so all would know who is honest and who lies”.

As the world of economics goes through another shocking experience, this August, the importance of strengthening our National Economic Governance is even more highlighted. Unfortunately, too many in Malta, and politicians included, fail to understand that Government finance is our finance. It is not somebody else’s money, it is our money. Most times when Government over-spends, and in a democracy the tendency of elected representative is to spend now rather than save for tomorrow, few bother about the impact of over-spending on the national economy.

Indeed there are many pseudo economists who dominate certain sections of the media who still believe that spending is the way out for all problems, social, political and economic. Most times those who benefit from over-spending are the least productive or the very rich. The rest of us middle-income earners and business owners are the ones who have to pick up the bills, in increased taxation. It is always the same – they get, we pay.

Better Economic Governance rules imposed by the EU Commission now ensure that the EU 27 governments provide early Annual Budget proposals and Economic Consolidation Report to ensure that all preventive action is taken by Member States Governments to correct their economic imbalance and budget deficits. If the preventive measures are not considered sufficient by the EU Commission the European Council will dictate specific corrective measures for the member state to implement and if the Member State does not implement, their sanctions will become effective. This is an economic governance regime that the EU never had before. The problems that are now shaking the Euro Zone are also leading to other measures that lead to closer fiscal Union.

GRTU– Director General Vincent Farrugia as member of the EESC and as EESC Rapporteur on this issue is deeply involved in the talks and discussions on economic governance in representation of EESC ECO (Economic and Monetary Union, Economic and Social Cohesion) Section. He has participated in the European Economic Semester discussions in January and in the European Economic Congress in March and is participating in meetings and discussions on the evolvement of new economic policy measures being implemented since the crisis by the EU Commission.

These measures include:

· Strengthened surveillance – 6 pack

· European Semester – ex-ante guidance on economic policies

· Permanent Crisis resolution mechanism – European Stability Mechanism

· Europe 2020 – strategy for growth, employment and social cohesion

· Euro Plus Pact – improved policy coordination and competitiveness

· Financial repair – restructuring and stress testing

· Strengthening financial regulation

· European System of Financial Supervision – European Systemic Risk Board; European Supervisory Authority

In Malta however there are those who still believe that Budget is simply a Government give away so they present their wish-list and hope for the best. With nothing coming their way the Budget Day discussion becomes the usual Punch and Judy puppet show.

GRTU as a responsible national business organisation acts differently. We are currently involved in all extensive discussion with our various sections to identify new proposals that could stimulate our economy, increase productivity with intensive support of small businesses yet without negative impact on the national finances. The proposals that are coming in are interesting. Give us yours too – email on .

Zoko Enterprises are looking for Maltese companies with whom they would like to collaborate:

Business range: Import, marketing, product support and distribution of construction equipment for infrastructure, energy, Industrial and transportation markets

Zoko enterprises is a public company traded in the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange with a yearly sales revenue of $200M

Counting 400 employees (in Israel). Over 50% engaged in Service and Product Support. Nation-wide spread with 6 branches and depots

For more information contact Abigail Mamo @ GRTU

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is convinced that what is needed to best emerge from the crisis is sustainable jobs. That means jobs that enable people to earn an income in a safe and healthy working environment and in a climate that respects workers' rights and accommodates fruitful social dialogue; it also means highly productive jobs that provide added value in terms of innovation, quality, efficiency and productivity. This will enable Europe to generate stable economic growth and to remain competitive against other regions in the world.

Such is the main finding of the own-initiative opinion adopted by the EESC in the course of its plenary session held on 13-14 July, entitled "EU crisis exit strategies and industrial change: more precarious or sustainable jobs?"

The EESC believes that the most important prerequisite for the creation of new jobs is sustainable, stable economic growth; and welcomes the fact that a number of institutions and organisations have made proposals for emerging from the crisis that take account of the social dimension of recovery. Further, the EESC notes that businesses have recourse to various types of employment. This results in new types of work: precarious jobs where people are employed on temporary contracts for low pay with little social security and no legal protection.

The EESC urges the EU institutions to maintain European social standards with more conviction. The lack of decisiveness in this area has led to a growing number of working poor, rising inequality, ever greater fear for the future and, at the same time, a rise in citizens' distrust in one another, social institutions and government – not just national governments, but also the EU institutions.

It is particularly worth noting that there is a valuable appendix to the opinion which contains a number of examples of good practices in various Member States, submitted by CCMI members. The EESC advises the European Commission to promote and facilitate the exchange of experience and good practice.

The EESC is a bridge between civil society and the European institutions. Therefore, your opinion is of utmost importance. Should you have any comments: .

With all the commitments in place, it is now crucial to move on to secure the full implementation of the policy choices made so far. This aim must be achieved both at EU and national level. We believe that the European SME Envoy and its national recently appointed counterparts will be a crucial actor in this process alongside representative business organisations. If each actor rises up to the task, Europe will be able to build what we call "a smart grid for a smart regulation", which will ensure that words will become deeds when it comes to SME policy.

When the Small Business Act for Europe was launched, a comparison with the best practices of the US Small Business Act was inevitable. However, the US SBA is a binding measure, contrary to the European synonymous communication. From that moment onwards, GRTU stressed that the only possible way to go beyond this "original sin" was to follow (mutatis mutandis) the US best practices on consultation and impact assessment. In the United States, the "Think Small First" principle may not yet be a full reality, but it is bound to be the very secret for the success of the SBA.

In detail, the US Small Business Administration, mainly working on direct counselling and support to SMEs, including on access to finance, works by an Office of Advocacy that protects SMEs before the US Congress under the "obligation to consider how small entities will be affected by federal regulatory proposals. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) and Executive Order 13272 require federal agencies to determine the impact of their rules on small entities, consider alternatives that minimize small entity impacts, and make their analyses available for public comment.

The Office of Advocacy gives small firm owners and their representatives opportunities to make their voices heard about rules that affect their interests. Annually, the Office of Advocacy helps small businesses save billions in regulatory costs". The Office of Advocacy was created under the assumption that "giving small employers a voice early in the process is key to reducing the small business impact of state regulations while increasing regulatory compliance and passing on cost savings".

The motto for the US administration was that "what is not good for small business is not good for the economy". In the European "smart grid", this should be turned into a positive definition so that all stakeholders recognise that "what is good for small business is good for the economy", and act accordingly.

We believe that the "smart grid" formed by the European and national SME Envoys must reach exactly this aim.

Proposal Name: BIOREMED – Efficient on-site remediation technology for the elimination of soil contaminants, especially chlorinated hydrocarbons
Sub Area 1: Environment / Waste
Closure Date: 06/12/2011

Retrieve the Partner Search at: http://www.ncp-sme.net/Countries/HU/PS-SME-HU-1074

Proposal Name: Development of ready-to-eat meals with satiety properties: Adequacy of the ration quality for the targeted consumer
Sub Area 1: Food
Closure Date: 06/12/2011

Retrieve the Partner Search at: http://www.ncp-sme.net/Countries/ES/PS-SME-ES-1097

Proposal Name: SodSat: Precision management of turfgrass sod production by means of advanced IT technologies.
Sub Area 1: Agriculture / Forestry
Closure Date: 06/12/2011

Retrieve the Partner Search at: http://www.ncp-sme.net/Countries/ES/PS-SME-ES-1107

Proposal Name: SafeHorse: system for monitoring of equestrian activities and its maintenance
Sub Area 1: No sector clearly identified
Closure Date: 06/12/2011

Retrieve the Partner Search at: http://www.ncp-sme.net/Countries/ES/PS-SME-ES-1110

There will be no more places for defective and dangerous toys in the EU market. As from today, new EU rules for toys are in force to fulfill the highest safety requirements worldwide. With the entry into force, the new Toys Directive, all actors involved in the production, selling and control of toys on the EU market will get more responsibilities to better protect children.

First of all, Member States will have to ensure that market surveillance authorities perform adequate checks both at the EU external borders and within the Union itself, also through visits at the premises of economic operators that will ensure the immediate confiscation of dangerous toys.  Second, toy manufacturers, importers and distributors have more obligations too. Before placing a new toy on the market, they will have to identify the hazards and the potential exposure to children via a safety assessment. Finally, manufacturers are also obliged to ensure traceability of the toy by indicating name, address and number of the item.

European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship, stated: "Safety for our children is our first priority. We have the best legislation on toys in the world with the highest safety requirements. However, it is not sufficient to strengthen the rules. We also need Member States to ensure enhanced market surveillance deterring fraudulent market operators ". 

Background
The new legal framework will replace the old Toy Safety Directive of 1988. The new directive addresses a wide range of issues to ensure that toys do not present any health hazards or risk of injury. For example, rules preventing children from choking or suffocating as a consequence of swallowing or inhaling toys or their parts are strengthened. Toys in or co-mingled with food always need to be in a separate packaging, and those that can be accessed only after the food surrounding them is actually consumed are prohibited.

Among the most remarkable examples of the risks for the safety and health of children, there are:

• Parts or fragments of toys that can be swallowed by children with the risk of asphyxiation; among which puppets or cards mixed to food without an appropriate protective wrapper;
• Baby-changing tables or highchairs that are not stable enough and may therefore trap the child;
• Phthalates, chemical substances which make plastic softer, used in toys or baby's bottles, which may seriously damage kidneys and liver;
• Counterfeit puppets and dolls extremely inflammable as processed with not conforming varnishes;

Flame retardant chemicals found in some toys causing alterations in the nervous system, possible negative effects on growth, and permanent endocrine system damages.

The EU Commission has prepared a guide with recommendations for consumers on how to protect their children from toy-related risks:

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/toys/files/toys-safety-brochure/w-toys-safety-brochure_en.pdf
The European toy industry comprises over 25% of the world toy market. This is a highly internationalized industry and one of the most dynamic business sectors in Europe. Around 80% of the sector is comprised of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that have less than 50 employees.

In 2009, Total production of toys in the EU amounted to approximately €5 billion (manufacturer's price), of which 80% was generated by France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain, the UK, the Czech Republic and Poland.

In the EU, almost 2,000 manufacturers work in the toy sector. The toy industry directly employs nearly 100,000 people across the EU for production, research and development, marketing, sales, distribution, and many other services.

In 2010, total exports of traditional toys from EU27 countries to non-EU countries amounted to €1.05 billion (+10.2% compared to 2009).In 2010, total imports of traditional toys from non-EU countries to EU27 amounted to €6.96 billion (+20.3% compared to 2009).The total retail market for traditional toys in the EU totaled €14.485 billion in 2009. In terms of revenue (turnover at retail including tax), the European toy market was the largest in the world in 2009. In 2009, infant/preschool toys were the leading toy category in the EU, with almost 20% market share.