Category: Archive – 2013

The European
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has updated its guidance on the use of portable
electronic devices (or PEDs) on board planes – including smartphones, tablets,
MP3 players and e-readers.

16.2%: that's the size of the gender
pay gap, or the average difference between women and men's hourly earnings
across the EU, according to the latest figures released by the European
Commission. The figure has not moved an inch in the space of a year.

COST has a very specific mission and goal. It contributes to
reducing the fragmentation in European research investments and opening the
European Research Area to cooperation worldwide.

As a precursor of advanced multidisciplinary research,
COST plays a very important role in building a European Research Area (ERA). It
anticipates and complements the activities of the EU Framework Programmes,
constituting a "bridge" towards the scientific communities of emerging
countries. It also increases the mobility of researchers across Europe and
fosters the establishment of scientific excellence in the nine key domains:

Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences

Food and
Agriculture

Forests, their
Products and Services

Materials,
Physics and Nanosciences

Chemistry and
Molecular Sciences and Technologies

Earth System
Science and Environmental Management

Information and
Communication Technologies

Transport and
Urban Development

Individuals,
Societies, Cultures and Health

How COST works

COST funds pan-European, bottom-up networks of scientists and
researchers across all science and technology fields. These networks, called
'COST Actions', promote international coordination of nationally-funded
research.

COST does not fund research itself, but provides support for
networking activities carried out within COST Actions. COST Actions are
bottom-up science and technology networks open to researchers and stakeholders,
with a four-year duration and a minimum participation of five COST Countries.

COST Actions are active through a range of networking tools,
such as meetings, workshops, conferences, training schools, short-term
scientific missions (STSMs) and dissemination activities. COST Actions are open
to researchers from universities, public and private research institutions, as
well as to NGOs, industry and SMEs. To learn more about participating in COST Actions,
please visit the Participate page.

COST invites researchers throughout Europe to submit
proposals for COST Actions through a continuous Open Call. The two collection
dates a year are announced in the Official Journal of the European Union and on
the COST Website. Following a thorough evaluation and selection process, the
decision for funding a proposal is taken by the COST Committee of Senior
Officials (CSO) within eight months from the collection date. Successful
proposals are approved to become COST Actions and can expect to ‘kick-off'
within three months thereafter. For more information on how to submit a
proposal for a COST Action, please visit the Open Call page.

Proposals for COST Actions can be submitted in one of the
COST Scientific Domains. Highly interdisciplinary proposals that cover several
scientific Domains can be submitted through the COST Trans-Domain (TD) Pilot.

Researchers can also apply to join an existing COST Action.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provides the formal basis
for COST Action. The proposal for a new Action must fulfill certain formal and
qualitative criteria, and if the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) approves
the MoU, the COST countries wishing to take part in the Action can agree to it.
A COST Action is launched when at least five COST member states have agreed the
MoU and starts with the first Management Committee meeting of the Action. It
runs for an average of four years.

COST Actions are open to international cooperation, by also
allowing the participation of researchers from Near Neighbour Countries and
International Partner Countries on the basis of mutual benefit. In addition,
COST has signed Reciprocal Agreements with Argentina, New Zealand and South
Africa as a pilot exercise to facilitate cooperation with researchers from
these countries.

How can COST help unlock SMEs'
innovation potential?

COST Actions connect researchers from universities,
institutions, with participants from the private sector. COST already has a
substantial number of SMEs participating in COST Actions working on issues that
range from environmental issues to nanotechnology.

COST aims at promoting SME participation in COST Actions.
This also through opportunities provided to SMEs by EU funding, the vital role
of networking, the need for knowledge exchange and transfer and the key
position of SMEs.

SME representatives can participate in COST Actions in two
ways: they can, within a network of proposers, submit a proposal for a COST
Action; alternatively, they can join an existing COST Action.

COST operates a continuous Open Call for Proposals, with
collection dates twice a year: in March and September. To learn more about the
COST Open Call and Collection Dates, please visit: http://www.cost.eu/participate/open_call.

In order to submit a proposal for a new COST Action,
researchers or experts in a science and technology field have to gather and
coordinate a network of at least five proposers affiliated with legal entities
based in at least five different COST Countries.

SMEs can also apply to join an existing COST action in a
subject which interests them.

MCAST's Institute of
Agribusiness is organising a short evening course for importers, distributors
and retailers of pesticides.

As you may know, the
Pesticides Control Act regulating the trade of pesticides states that all those
who handle these products need to have a license issued by the Malta
Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA). This is granted after the
interested persons follow a special course approved by the Authority itself.

The Institute of Agribusiness
is therefore holding such a course, consisting of 12 2-hour sessions spread
over 2 or 3 weeks and starting in early January. This course is approved by the
MCCAA and, after completion, participants will sit for a written test and
eventually be issued with their license. The fee for this course is €185.

Members who are engaged
in the importation, distribution and retailing of pesticides for agricultural,
industrial or domestic wishing to attend the course are invited to contact the
MCAST – Office of Part-Time Courses on 23987116 or 23987103 and by email on .

Information about specific furniture
product characteristics, provided to consumers at the time of purchase, may be
insufficient for them to compare between different furniture products sold on
the EU market. For example, such information may relate to furniture product
weight, dimensions, origin, materials and substances used, quality processes
applied, product durability, instructions and precautions on use, cleaning and
disposal, etc.

In this
context, some EU countries have introduced or been considering developing
information schemes specific to furniture products, which complement
information required under the EU product safety legislation. These national
schemes may well facilitate consumers' purchasing decisions, however, their divergent
information content can possibly impact the companies trading furniture across
the EU.

The
objective of this public consultation is therefore to gather stakeholders'
views on the possible needs for and impacts of enhanced information
accompanying furniture products sold in the EU.

Kindly
send your feedback regarding this consultation at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/public_consultation_furniture

The Lotto
Receivers Union (LRU), represented by GRTU within a specific lotto receivers
section, has this week written to the Chairman and CEO of the Lotteries and
Gaming Authorities (LGA) regarding the issue of retail outlets of various
natures selling games of the like of Scratchers, Keno, Bingo, and National
Lottery tickets.

The LRU pointed out that to them this constitutes unfair
competition and appears to be illegal, quoting Article 8 (1) of the Lotteries
and Other Games Act: "….any person who offers for sale or sells any game to a
person under the age of eighteen years of age shall be guilty of an offence."

To the
knowledge of the LRU there is no enforcement in place to address issues that
arise from other outlets as there is in their regards. In addition to this
whilst the LGA is allowing the current National Lottery Licence holder to offer
these games in any outlet, allowing freer access to all, the agency agreement
of the lotto receivers precludes them from offering games and services other
than those of the National Lottery Licence holder, in itself a very restrictive
and questionable condition.

The LRU
has asked on what criteria are outlets being allowed to sell games that are
part of the licensee's monopoly and the LRU was always given the impression
that these could be sold only through the lotto receivers/agents points of
sale. The LRU feels that this could also constitute a manoeuvre around the Call
for Tenders which established a maximum number of 240 outlets for gaming.

It
should be pointed out that lotto receiving outlets are only allowed to
sell  Lotto and Super5 which limits them
heavily, even more so since the other outlets are also being allowed to cash
all games including lotto and super5.

The LRU
have called on the LGA to take immediate steps to ensure the law is enforced in
a horizontal manner and that a level playing field is maintained in a market
which has already become too difficult and onerous to work in.

Following an
invitation and visit to Malta by a delegation from the Romanian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry of ILFOV earlier this year, GRTU President Mr Paul Abela
and GRTU official Mr Noel Gauci have visited the Romanian Chamber of Commerce
at its headquarters in Bucharest.

A memorandum of understanding for increased
cooperation between the Presidents Mr Paul Abela and Mr Dan Dumitru has been
signed in the presence of the Romanian Secretary of State Dr Iulian Moisescu.

The MOU
paves the way to boost the business between the members of the respective
chambers in various sectors including tourism, general trade and investment. It
was also agreed that the two parties will collaborate in tapping EU funds
collectively and effectively. Maltese GRTU members and Romanian Chamber of
Commerce members will be treated as members of the respective organizations
when visiting Malta or Romania respectively.

The
Romanian Chamber of Commerce have appointed Mr Thomas Molendini as their
permanent representative in Malta.

PORT-PVEV –
Photo Voltaic Electric Vehicle was launched on the 29th of November 2013 by
the  Minister for Transport and
Infrastructure Hon Joe Mizzi during a Conference of the project entitled 'Electro-mobility
Islands'

Hon
Mizzi said that the aim of government is to work towards making transport in
Malta environmentally sustainable.  Hon
Mizzi referred to the latest national greenhouse gas inventory, road transport
which currently accounts to 16.9% of the total greenhouse gas emissions
generated in Malta, as unacceptable.

The
scope of the project is to determine how to make ports and port-areas cleaner,
whilst also making them more energy-efficient. The fact that these electric
vehicles do not emit any harmful pollutants means that the deployment of these
cars on our roads will improve air quality by the removal of traffic related
emissions and will also reduce noise pollution.        

This project will also propose additional future measures of how to make
ports in Malta and Sicily cleaner by engaging electro-mobility together with
the generation and use of renewable sources of energy to provide different
forms of clean transportation.

Government
decided to support this initiative because of the 2020 climate change and
energy targets that Malta needs to achieve.

Hon
Mizzi said government is planning that by the year 2020, there would be no less
than 5,000 electric vehicles on the Maltese roads, together with mandatory
targets for the respective infrastructure. Government will also be launching
three other initiatives to show its commitment towards electro-mobility and
environmental sustainability.

A joint
initiative between the Ministry of Transport and Transport Malta will be
launching the Malta National Electro-mobility Action Platform, besides the
promotion of electro-mobility in Malta, the role of the MNEP will be to oversee
the implementation of the Action Plan which is made up of various projects and
initiatives that will further the electrification of transport.

The
government will also be incentivising the uptake of battery electric vehicles
by giving a substantial grant of €5,000 for the purchase of a battery electric
vehicle. This measure will enter into effect as from January 2014 and the
grants will be given on a first come first served basis.

This
scheme will be part of the scrappage scheme which was announced in the Budget
for 2014.

Hon
Mizzi also said that as from next year, the government will embark upon a
gradual process of changing its current vehicle fleet to a much cleaner and
energy-efficient one.

GRTU Deputy
President Philip Fenech has attended a consultation session organized by MEUSAC
on the ‘Proposal on interchange fees for card-based payment transactions'
and  the ‘Proposal on the comparability
of fees related to payment accounts, payment account switching and access to
payment accounts with basic features'.

The
continued development of the single market in the area of financial services is
of primary importance for Europe's growth and competitiveness. However
obstacles to a fully integrated internal market for financial services remain.
In the field of retail financial services, The Single Market Act I (SMA I)
stated that particular regard should be given, "to the transparency of
bank fees and better protection of borrowers in the mortgage market1". The
Commission also announced, "an initiative concerning access to a basic
payment account for all citizens at a reasonable cost, wherever they live in the
EU" in order to enable all citizens to participate actively in the single
market.

Previous
initiatives in the field of retail banking have not only improved the ability
of payment service providers to operate cross-border, but have brought
substantial benefits to many European consumers, in particular through cheaper
transactions, faster payments and more transparent conditions and prices. The
Payment Services Directive (2007/64/EC) provides certain transparency
obligations with respect to the fees charged by payment service providers. This
initiative has contributed to substantially shorten the time required to
execute transactions and increase the consistency of the information provided
to consumers in relation to their payment services.

While
measures to complete the single market for financial services should generate
growth and enhance business opportunities for providers of financial services,
their impact on consumers is also of vital importance. At present, the opacity
of payment account fees makes it difficult for consumers to make informed
choices. Even where fees are comparable, the process for switching from one
payment account to another is often lengthy and complex. As a result, consumers
still show a very high degree of inertia with respect to payment accounts.

The
proposals aim to: improve the transparency and comparability of fee information
relating to payment accounts; facilitate switching between payment accounts;
eliminate discrimination based on residency with respect to payment accounts;
and provide access to a payment account with basic features within the EU. They
will contribute to easier market entry, increased economies of scale and
therefore increased competition in the banking and payment industries, both
within and across Member States. Taking steps to simplify the comparison of
services and fees offered by payment services providers and facilitate the
process of switching between payment accounts will, in turn, improve prices and
services for consumers. This proposal will also guarantee access to basic
payment services to all EU consumers and prohibit discrimination based on
residency against consumers who intend to open a payment account abroad, to the
benefit of both payment service providers and consumers.

GRTU, in
line with the position taken by EuroCommerce, has long been calling for more
transparency and competition in the payments market. We welcome the package of
proposed payments legislation announced on 24 July 2013 but we feel that
current proposals do not go far enough.

In
Europe, millions of businesses accept millions of payment transactions each
day. For these companies, large and small, payments are an essential part of
their business, and the fees charged (multilateral interchange fees – MIFs) can
contribute significantly to their operating costs. On their behalf, we call for
the full potential of the Single European Payments Area (SEPA) to provide
low-cost payments across Europe to be realised. A reduction in the cost of
payments will allow European payment users to adopt innovative payment
solutions and realise cost savings that will benefit consumers.

Philip
Fenech put foreword a joint statement by EU level representatives of payment
users, amongst which EuroCommerce and UEAPME, that suggest the below
amendments:

1.   Debit: Provide an interchange-free electronic debit service for all
citizens by mandating the removal of the interchange fee on consumer debit
cards. As an alternative, any fee should be set as a maximum fixed cap in line
with current best practice at national level.

2.   Credit: Lower the proposed caps for electronic credit
cards/applications. This cap should be lowered proportionately in line with
lowered debit caps.

3. Commercial cards: Include
commercial payment cards/applications within the scope of the proposed fee caps.
The current proposal to exempt commercial cards from caps is unjustified
economically and risks creating loopholes. Distinguishing commercial cards from
consumer cards will also give rise to significant technical and practical
problems.

4.   Three-party schemes: Mandate a mechanism to include consumer and
commercial cards issued by three-party schemes within the fee caps.

5.   Implement the Regulation immediately. Cross-border caps should
begin within 2 months of adoption of the Regulation and national caps within 6
months, with a year as absolute maximum. The proposed two year deadline for
national implementation is not technically necessary and would adversely affect
mainly SMEs and consumers since the greatest burden of interchange fees is felt
at national level.