Author: SME Chamber

GRTU's Director General Vincent Farrugia and also EESC member and rapporteur on the EESC Opinion on the Effective Enforcement  of Budgetary Surveillance in the Euro Area met this week Ms Sylvie Goulard, MEP, at the European Parliament as rapporteur on the same Commission Communication but at the European Parliament.

 

During the meeting Mr Farrugia and Ms Goulard discussed both their reports and tried to find common ground, this would be desirable due to the high importance of the subject .

The Proposal forms part of a package of 6 legislative proposals aimed at strengthening economic governance in the EU – and more specifically in the euro area – as part of the EU's response to the challenges highlighted by recent turmoil on sovereign debt markets. The European Council of 24-25 March 2011 noted that the 6 pack of legislative proposals on economic governance is key to ensuring enhanced fiscal discipline and avoiding excessive macroeconomic imbalances. The 6-pack forms part of a wider comprehensive package of measures adopted by the European Council which should allow us to turn the corner of the financial crisis and continue our path towards sustainable growth. This package will strengthen the economic governance of the European Union and ensure the lasting stability of the euro area as a whole. Within the new framework of the European semester, the European Council endorsed the priorities for fiscal consolidation and structural reform giving a clear orientation for the preparation of the next year's national budgets and reform plans.

The role of EESC is fundamental to ensuring that the Parliament takes the right decision as will effect all the countries in the Eurozone.

During a MEUSAC meeting this morning chaired by the Hon. Chris Said, The Hon. Tonio Borg, Deputy Prime Minister, explained at length what the Government's position is now, in the short term and the long term with respect to the ongoing Libya Crisis.

 

The meeting also discussed what impacts this crisis is having on Tourism, employment and Maltese business interests in Libya. GRTU reiterated its position regarding Maltese businesses and the difficulties they carry, namely that the Government of Malta should defer various payments due by companies active in Libya, namely, but not solely, payments on VAT, Inland Revenue, and if necessary Water and Electricity.

GRTU also encouraged the Government to engage the banks on behalf of those businesses who were involved in Libya. GRTU is informed that certain banks are giving such clients a very hard time, with unreasonable demands being made to pay back capital used for Libya operations.

GRTU also asked the Government to consider a guarantee scheme to give Maltese businesses involved in Libya some respite with certain banks. It has to be said that all banks, with one notable exception, were taking such extreme attitudes with Maltese businesses involved in Libya.

Both Dr. Borg and Dr. Said stated that Government was doing its utmost to tap any available funds the EU may have. This was a welcome departure from the flat "Nien" of Minister Tonio Borg on last Monday's Bondiplus programme. GRTU concluded that now that the Government has the whole picture, it should immediately see how it could help. GRTU again stressed that the Government has to get tough with the banks.

GRTU Petrol Station owners meet on Tuesday evening to take a secret vote on whether to proceed with industrial action in protest against the exceptional delay by Government authorities in deciding on the claims presented by GRTU on their behalf.

 

GRTU Petrol Owners buy fuel for resale to customers and users at a price imposed by Enemalta corporation. The price to consumers is established by the Malta Resources Authority (MRA). The MRA also imposes heavy costs and is trying to impose a devaluation on the value of the operating licence of each Petrol Station. GRTU insists that since it is not a free market and that the price to the consumer is not freely established but imposed by Government through the MRA the profit margin of petrol station owners is effectively Government imposed as both Enemalta Corporation and MRA belong to the Maltese Government.

GRTU accepted Government's proposal to appoint independent auditors to review the cost structure so that Government can decide what is the correct wholesale price that Enemalta should impose and what is the correct price that MRA should approve as maximum selling price to customers and users.

GRTU in no way imposes or determines and price or profit margins. Petrol Stations establish at what price and applicable conditions like credit or if any trade discounts as long as they do not surpass the maximum price imposed by the MRA. A final meeting is being held at the Ministry for Finance on Wednesday 30th March.

GRTU expects that good-will from all parties will avoid a worsening of this long protracted dispute.

Fl-ittra mibghuta lill-Kunsill ta' M'Xlokk din l-Gimgha, 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. Ma kienx facli tikkonvinci lil kulhadd, izda flimkien hdimna sabiex dawn jaghtu s-sehem taghhom biex l-progett ta' tisbieh tal-promenade gewwa M'Xlokk jsir b'mod strutturat u minghajr l-ebda nkonvinjent.

 

Illum, grazzi ghal dawk  kollha nvoluti qeghdin ngawdu dak li hdimna ghalih. Ovja l-problemi ma jonqsux, izda l-GRTU tibqa' l-medjatur sabiex ghan-nom tal-membri taghha flimkien mall-Kunsill jinstab kunsens sabiex titnaqqas kull forma ta' burokrazija.

Il-Monti tal-Hadd kompla jopera kif kien. Kull ma gie organizzat biss kien t-traffic management.

Il-GRTU qed titlob lill-Kunsill illi minnufieh u minghajr aktar dewmien, tinstab alternattiva ohra ghall-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 M'Xlokk dovut ghat-traffiku u n-nuqqas ta' parkegg. Din is-sitwazzjoni qeghda tmur sahansitra kontra l-policies vigenti tal-MEPA peress li tikkostitwixxi bad neighbourliness.

L-GRTU qeghda titlob sabiex tittiehed decizjoni finali mill-aktar fis sabiex jigi identifikat l-ahjar post sabiex jopera l-Monti ta' kuljum bejn dawn iz-zewg proposti:

– quddiem l-ghajn tal-hasselin; jew

– fil-maghluq

Fil-fehma tal-GRTU din m'ghandiex tkun problema sabiex l-Kunsill jiddeciedi liema hi l-ahjar proposta, peress li z-zewg proposti gja gew esperjenzati waqt il-process ta' xoghlijiet fuq l-promenade mill-istess bejjiegha.

Il-GRTU rringrazjat lill-Kunsill ghal kooperazzjoni shiha, u talbitu jaghmel ghazla li tkun prattika, ekkwa u gusta fl-iqsar zmien possibbli.

The GRTU executive Council has today met two Labour Party representatives, Perit Karmenu Vella and Dr Chris Cardona. The GRTU in its introduction explained the vast action the GRTU is taking and how effective it has become at national, EU and international level.

 

GRTU spoke about the increased recognition GRTU is acquiring at the European Economic and Social Committee and how we are bridging the work done at EU level and the EESC with our local work, especially on the economical aspects and on the issue of budgetary surveillance. GRTU explained the steady working relationship we have with Government officials especially when working at EU level as we regularly consult Government . On the other hand however consultation with us from Government prior to the publishing of a Legal Notice is still scars and lacks a structural sequence.

The Labour Party said that first of all they are very pleased to meet the GRTU and that this reminds them of the frequent meetings they used to have with the constituted bodies when they were in Government, which used to be very fruitful and they look forward to restart this close cooperation as even though communication have never stopped they would like to meet more frequently. The representatives also said that they recognise the increased importance the GRTU has gained, which Government has only to gain from. He said that Government has his mind more at rest if his social partners are strong. GRTU but has not yet gained importance at EU level and GRTU's work is now benefiting Government at EU and international level. When speaking about investments he said that he does not see Government as imposing but as supporting investors. Government needs to better hand-hold businesses in their investments and not impose on them what they do with their money.

The GRTU and the Labour Party representatives spoke at length of the current economic situation and the budgetary constraints currently happening in other countries and how these effect our country and the way the EU takes its decisions and operates. The EU now requires earlier budgetary planning and under the most recent strategies, policies were incorporated to ensure an early warning system and budgetary surveillance. They emphasised the need for more value added growth in the economy and to better incorporate small businesses.

Both the Labour Party and the GRTU agreed that Government was not involving us, as GRTU and the Labour Party, enough in conferences and seminars abroad. The GRTU for instance said that during the time of Edwin Vassallo the GRTU was invited to participate on important conferences concerning SMEs. This today is no longer the case even if we asked directly to participate.

Various topics were brought up and discussed by the GRTU Council amongst which was the pension system, the subsidies for the agriculture sector, the funding mechanism for renewable energy, the environmental and waste obligation, Gozo and future prospects, the current big projects in Malta, the Malta Enterprise and tourism.

Terminating the anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of vinyl acetate originating in the United States of America and releasing the amounts secured by way of the provisional duties imposed

 

Notice of initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of certain organic coated steel products originating in the People's Republic of China

Notice of the expiry of certain anti-dumping measures

Granting certain parties an exemption from the extension to certain bicycle parts of the anti- dumping duty on bicycles originating in the People's Republic of China imposed by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2474/93, lifting the suspension and revoking the exemption of the payment of the anti-dumping duty extended to certain bicycle parts originating in the People's Republic of China granted to certain parties pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 88/97

Imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of trichloroisocyanuric acid originating in the People's Republic of China following an expiry review pursuant to Article 11(2) of Regulation (EC)

Notice concerning the anti-dumping measures in force in respect of imports into the Union of citric acid originating in the People's Republic of China: change of the address of a company subject to an individual anti-dumping duty rate

Notice concerning undertakings offered in connection with the anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of citric acid originating in the People's Republic of China: change of the address of a company

Imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of certain stainless steel fasteners and parts thereof originating in the People's Republic of China and Taiwan following an expiry review pursuant to Article 11(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009

Extending the definitive anti-dumping duty imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 511/2010 on imports of certain molybdenum wires originating in the People's Republic of China to imports of certain molybdenum wires consigned from Malaysia, whether declared as originating in Malaysia or not and terminating the investigation in respect of imports consigned from Switzerland

Amending Regulation (EC) No 1292/2007 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film originating in India

The third phase of the transitional arrangements at present in force in relation to the employment of EEA/Swiss nationals, their family members or dependents, as workers, will be coming to an end on April 30th 2011.

 

This means that following this date such nationals will cease to require an Employment Licence to be able to work in Malta as workers. Employers engaging their services would need to just follow the procedure being followed at present for Maltese nationals i.e. to submit an engagement form to the Corporation which should include the National Insurance Number issued by the Department of Social Security, of the person being recruited.

The above does not apply to Bulgarian and Romanian Nationals, their family members or dependents as their regard transitional arrangements are still in place, at least until the end of 2011.

At this stage you may wish to inform your members of this matter and of the fact that any engagement of such nationals before this date would still require an Employment Licence. Employers already engaging such nationals against the issue of a valid employment licence, and that wish to retain their services after April 30th 2011, do not need to re-register these nationals with the Corporation.

Industrial activities are an important part of our economy. However, they also contribute to environmental pollution and to the production of waste and use of energy. Despite a reduction of emissions over the past decades, industrial activities remain a major source of pollutants.

 

In November 2005 the European Commission launched a review of European legislation on industrial emissions, in particular the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive1, which imposes the requirement that industrial and agricultural activities with a high pollution potential, such as energy industries, chemical industries, and waste management operators, should have a permit in order to operate.

The review led to the Commission proposing, on 21 December 2007, a Directive on Industrial Emissions2 which recasts3 seven existing Directives, including the IPPC Directive, related to industrial emissions into a single clear and coherent legislative instrument. This proposal was discussed during a consultation session organised by the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) together with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) on 5 May 2009 for which relevant stakeholders were invited.

After extensive discussions between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament, political agreement on the draft proposal was reached in June 2009. During the negotiations Malta and other Member States jointly argued that vulnerable industries could be regulated just as effectively by local environmental permitting systems to ensure similar environmental benefits.

Following further discussions between the Council and the Parliament, a final draft of the proposal was agreed which was subsequently ratified in November 2010. This led to the coming into force of the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU)4 on 6 January 2011.

This Directive needs to be transposed into Maltese law by January 2013. The new Directive addresses the needs of both the industry as well as the environment. It sets stricter limits on pollutants emitted by power stations, such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and dust, which are responsible for acid rain and smog, and cause respiratory diseases like asthma. In Malta, power plants must comply with these stricter limits by 2020.

During the negotiations Malta argued that the date when new and stricter emissions for power plants would become applicable was a crucial factor, in order to ensure that the public would not suffer from electricity cuts while the necessary technological improvements to power plants were being carried out.

Another consequence of this new Directive is the fact that IPPC permits will be obligatory for certain local installations, especially in the waste management sector such as the recovery of non-hazardous waste and the treatment of waste water from IPPC sites.

Il-GRTU Kamra Maltija tan-Negozji Zghar u Medji tfakkar il-11 ta' Marzu bhala l-Jum Kontra Kull Forma ta' Vjolenza fuq il-Persuna. Kien il-11 ta' Marzu 2010 meta l-ispekulatur tal-proprjeta' Sandro Chetcuti dahal l-Ufficju tad-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU, Vince Farrugia u fost ghajjat ta' "noqtlok, noqtlok", aggredixxa ripetutament bil-ponn u bis-sieq u bl-aktar mod vjolenti fuq il-wicc u l-persuna ta' Vince Farrugia.

Kien biss ghall-intervent f'waqtu ta' zewg ufficjali tal-GRTU li waqfu l-attentat u qalghu lil Sandro Chetcuti minn fuq Vince Farrugia li gie imsabbat u imdemmi mal-art u li, skond wahda mid-diversi akkuzi tal-Pulizija kontra Sandro Chetchuti, ma sehhx omicidju.  Ix-xhieda fil-kumpilazzjoni li qed tinstema' fil-Qorti uriet stampa cara tal-vjolenza fuq il-persuna u tal-attentat fuq il-hajja tad-Direttur Generali tal-GRTU li twettqet fil-11 ta'Marzu 2010.

Dan l-attentat kien l-aktar attakk vjolenti li qatt sehh fuq persuna pubblika fl-istorja recenti ta' Malta. Il-GRTU madanakollu tfakkar illi n-numru ta' kazi ta' vjolenza fuq il-persuna f'Malta sfortunatament ghadhom frekwenti, ghalkemm il-bicca ‘l kbira ma jkunux rapportati. Mill-istharrig tal-GRTU jidher li hemm htiega ta' kampanja sabiex tigi imrazzna din it-tendenza fost minoranza fis-socjeta' Maltija li jirrikorru ghall-vjolenza fuq il-persuna. Il-GRTU tappella ghall-attenzjoni tal-awtoritajiet  u mil-organizazzjonijiet tas-socjeta' civili biex titkattar l-edukazzjoni u jiddahhlu aktar mizuri preventivi u korrettivi biex din l-pjaga titfejjaq anke bl-introduzzjoni u impozizzjoni ta' ligijiet aktar iebsin. Il-GRTU tappella fuq kollox li hadd fl-awtorita' u f'pozizzjoni ta' influwenza fuq l-opinjoni pubblika ma jidher li b'xi mod jikkundanna l-vjolenza fuq il-persuna billi bl-imgieba tieghu jidher li qed jissimpatizza ma' minhu vjolenti.