Malta Chamber Administrative Report 2019/2020

MALTA CHAMBER ANNUAL REPORT 2019/2020 T H E A N N U A L A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E P O R T O F T H E M A LTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ENTERPRISE & INDUSTRY

A Special Edition of The Commercial Courier

G O L D C O L L A B O R AT I N G PA R T N E R S

N E W S PA P E R P O S T

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CONTENTS Foreword by President Perit David Xuereb 0 2 2 026 Introduction by DG Kevin J. Borg Council of the Malta Chamber 2018-2019 0 3 1 031 Malta Chamber Staff 033 The year in pictures – Events Highlights

POLICY

053 Policy Positions 2019-2020 054 Policy Committees 068

Sustainability 068

Human Resources 068

Family Businesses 069

Marketing 069

S E C TO R S 073 Economic Groups Executive 0 74 Committee Members 076 Economic Groups

Importers, Distributors and Retailers EG 0 7 6 076

Healthcare

Professional Community Lead 0 7 7

Pharmacists 077

Wines and Spirits, Beverages

and Tobacco

Manufacturers and Other Industries EG 0 7 8 081

Electrical and Electronics

Food and Beverage Processors 0 8 1 082

Plastics and Rubber

Manufacturers

082

Services Providers EG 084

Financial Services 085

Tech

PUBLISHER

Logistics Shipping and Bunkering Tourism Yachting Services

P R OJ E C T S & I N T E R N AT I O N A L I S AT I O N

089 094 Relations with Diplomatic Corps 097 Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)

0101 International Scene 0101

BUSINESSEUROPE 0109

EUROCHAMBRES

0111 Executive Committees – Business Sections, Policy Committees and Business Councils Malta Chamber Commissions set up by Statute 0 1 1 2 0114 Nominees on Boards and Committees

0119 Administration 0121 Examination Services 0123 Surveys 0124 ISO:9001

0126 Malta Business Bureau 0130 Trade Malta 0132 Tech.MT 0137 Education Malta

0143 Public Relations 0144 Media Releases

EDITOR: Kevin J. Borg EDITORIAL COORDINATOR: Edward Bonello

Content House Group Mallia Buildings 3, Level 2, Triq in-Negozju, Zone 3, Central Business District, Birkirkara CBD 3010 T: +356 2132 0713 E: info@contenthouse.com.mt www.contenthouse.com.mt

Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry The Exchange, Republic Street, Valletta VLT1117 T: +356 2123 3873 E: info@maltachamber.org.mt www.maltachamber.org.mt

085 085 085 086

CREATIVE COORDINATOR: Sarah Micallef DESIGN: Nicholas Cutajar – Design Studio at Content House Ltd DIRECTOR OF SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Matthew Spiteri

DIRECTOR OF SALES & OPERATIONS: Lindsey Napier CORPORATE SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE: Matthew Mizzi HEAD OF DIGITAL & MARKETING: Raisa Mazzola ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR: Elena Dimech

GOLD SPONSORS

We care about the environment BRONZE SPONSORS

Because we care about the environment, The Annual Administrative Report is printed on FSC-certified paper, a certification which provides assurance that the paper is from sustainable and well-managed sources, thereby minimising its environmental impacts.

The Annual Administrative Report of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry is distributed to all the members of the Malta Chamber and to leading businesses.

The cut-off date for information published in this Annual Administrative Report is 15th February 2020. Events occurring after this date will appear in the 2020-2021 report.

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F O R E WO R D by the

President of The Malta Chamber Perit David Xuereb

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AS PR E SIDE N T O F THE MALTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, E NT E R PR ISE A N D IN D USTRY, AT THIS IMPORTANT JUNCTURE , I A M HO N O UR E D TO PRESENT TO OUR MEMBERS AND T HE B USIN E SS CO MMUNITY A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE E X T EN SIVE WO R K WE HAVE CARRIED OUT IN THE PAST 1 2 M ON T HS, A N D THE O B J ECTIVES WE HAVE SET OURSELVES FO R O UR O RGANISATION’S FUTURE. A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE MALTA CHAMBER – LEADING THE ETHICAL AND RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS COMMUNITY The past months at The Malta Chamber have been a strong and determined drive, which has challenged the way this very important national organisation approaches it priorities and its business. Proud of our past achievements and even prouder of the respected reputation our Chamber enjoys, we drove on a process to truly and genuinely understand and establish The Malta Chamber’s next objectives with a clear mission and drive to ensure that we are aligned with and focused on a top service to our (current and prospective) members, now and in the future.

Central to this journey was the determination of a Mission, Vision and a set of Aims and Values which we laid out clearly with the help of external consultants in order to maintain focus and prioritise each and every action and decision taken by our organisation.

Naturally, our next objective was to ascertain that The Malta Chamber retains an updated and modernised focus despite its 172 years of honourable history. This was done by engaging in a process that led to a revision of the Chamber’s statute. This is the latest in a serious of historic revisions, as our organisation has managed to remain relevant throughout the decades, precisely through its members’ courageous drive to update and remain ahead of the game.

Through this latest revision, we are seeking to make our Chamber more and more accessible and relevant to our members, as well as prospective new ones. The Malta Chamber is herewith ensuring that this business plan remains relevant, that the principles adopted make its work more pertinent and useful to Malta’s business community, while remaining receptive to our members’ needs and priorities.

‘LA BORSA’ RENOVATION Reflecting this change outwardly, is a project we shall be embarking in 2020, to renovate our historic Exchange Buildings. As an organisation, we are exceptionally proud of the edifice we call home. Sitting proudly in the Capital’s most prestigious street, our beloved ‘La Borsa’ was purposely built to house The Malta Chamber, only a few years after the establishment of the latter – an honour few organisations can boast.

With complete and unwavering respect to the historical building that it is, we are undergoing a large-scale project to bring this beautiful building aligned with the needs of business today. While restoring the great splendour and architectural language that make our building the landmark everyone loves, we will ensure that activity remains high through the introduction of adequate technology and the accommodation of all forms of meeting and networking events for all generations of businesspersons.

CLOSER TO OUR MEMBERS However, it is not only the outward that is going through some serious changing.

In order to be in a better position to cater for businesses’ needs, we are also making dramatic changes to our organisational structures, including the strengthening of our Thematic Committees Structure, to better reflect the expectations of our membership.

In fact, in addition to our long-standing committees dedicated to specific sectors of the economy, The Malta Chamber will be adding new policy-oriented fora for meetings, discussion and actions, that will tackle prioritised themes in a focused and objective driven manner. These Thematic Committees will have a clear scope and defined outcomes, while adequately resourced to ensure successful actions.

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Becoming a member of The Malta Chamber will be made easier with the adoption of technology in our membership schemes and other associated services. Increased communication with members and the associated ease and efficiency have been a priority and will continue to remain so.

GOOD GOVERNANCE – A LEADER OF MALTA’S ETHICAL AND GENUINE BUSINESS COMMUNITY Following the shocking events the country has experienced in the latter end of 2019, The Malta Chamber thought fit to engage in a supporting role in dealing with the priority for the nation at that juncture – Good Governance.

Rather than point fingers or just criticise the various responsible organisations only, The Malta Chamber engaged with membership experts and fielded over 60 recommendations to the authorities and the public that would steer the country in the correct direction. This example is typical of the proactive, researched, apolitical and professional nature with which The Malta Chamber engages on matters that are considered to be at the top of its membership priorities.

AN ECONOMIC VISION FOR THE COUNTRY Another very important highlight of the past months was the launch of an Economic Vision for Malta for 2020-2025, in February of this year. Through this vision, The Malta Chamber has taken a mature, professional and realistic approach, and set two main ambitions for the country. On the one hand, our objective aims at achieving smart economic growth. Moreover, and through an equally important thrust, on the other hand, we seek to secure sustainable economic development. Both objectives are motivated by underlying national economic determinants.

The entire document rests on the expert opinions of 26 of Malta’s foremost CEOs and business leaders who have given their time and insights to formulate this landmark document – my gratitude towards them is endless. The Malta Chamber has once again found within its core, the vision which has enabled it to inspire, and believe in an extraordinary future for this country. 59 recommendations are set within this document and each of these visionary objectives is assigned key performance indicators to ensure that the country and all its players remain focused on the objective set.

YOUNG CHAMBER NETWORK I cannot round up these few thoughts without mentioning a project which is very much at heart and has taken off with great energy in the past months – the Young Chamber Network (YCN).

It is an initiative which we will continue to strengthen throughout the next year, in our objective to have our Chamber representative of all business generations.

The YCN is a project which aims to bring together a high-powered pool of individuals who can support each other in their business needs, within the context of the Chamber.

In turn, these young businesspeople are encouraged to take on roles and give an active contribution within the structures of the Chamber, thereby becoming influential in the very life and soul of the organisation. I feel that by encouraging this fresh blood into our system, we will be safeguarding our Chamber’s value and relevance, for a very long time.

CONCLUSION There have been and still are many more initiatives taking place, but these highlights give a good idea of the impatient drive for change that is currently characterising life at our Chamber. We are determined to make sure that nothing holds us back from achieving this.

The Chamber remains a force to be reckoned with. Our main challenge is ensuring that our businesses enjoy the optimal conditions for competitiveness-based growth and are aided in the best way possible to internationalise and achieve their goals. In these pages, you will read about the incredible work carried out by our tireless team.

At this juncture I wish to thank all those who have worked round the clock to bring all these changes to fruition. Starting from my fellow Council members, and colleagues on the Board of Management, but also our Director General and all the staff for the work they carry out.

We are truly living exciting times, and I am nothing but ever-so-energised to continue working for the next 12 months, to ascertain that our Chamber remains at the forefront of the country’s socio-economic debate and a recognised leader of ethical and responsible business.

Thank you.

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INTRODUCTION by

Director General Kevin J. Borg

AS DIR E C TO R G E NERAL OF THE MALTA CHAMBER O F CO MME R C E , E NTERPRISE AND INDUSTRY, IT IS M Y P L E ASUR E TO SUMMARISE OUR ORGANISATION’S AC HIE VE M E N TS OF THE PAST 1 2 MONTHS.

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T

he past 12 months at the Malta Chamber have seen a veritable renaissance. The significant changes taking place at each level of the organisation are the product of a sense of restlessness, aimed at reviewing, restoring and breathing new life into an already active organisation, to be better prepared to cater for the needs of Malta’s businesses tomorrow.

Another landmark document produced by the Chamber was ‘Ethical Business calls for Change – A Manifesto for Good Governance’ which was produced as a reaction to the national crisis the country faced towards the end of 2019. A multi-disciplinary working group was tasked with preparing the comprehensive document of recommendations for Good Governance, which was presented to the new Prime Minister in January 2020.

However, while this drive for change has been in top gear for the better part of the last year, both our core services, as well as the ancillary projects we carry out to service our members have all been successfully run by our hardworking staff, in some cases even developed further.

Over the past year, the Chamber was also directly involved in the launch and operation of Tech.MT as a Public Private Partnership with the Government of Malta. Through this collaboration, the Chamber continues to promote Malta’s interests of all things tech, including the rising industries of blockchain, AI and finTech.

FLAGSHIP EVENTS Throughout the past year, the Chamber continued to strive towards more engagement with members of all ages and areas of business, as well as providing consistent policies and leadership advice, in order to act as the main voice of the local business community. Various meetings and events were held with the country’s leaders, as well as stakeholders, while a number of projects were also organised on an international scale.

2019 was a pioneer year for the Chamber in the realm of policy and leadership. Early in March, the Chamber organised its first ever ‘Maltese Parliament for Enterprise’, under the umbrella of Eurochambres. The event, for the first time ever, gathered 30 high-profile entrepreneurs, in the benches of Parliament and gave them the unique opportunity to address and propose policy to the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, the Speaker, as well as a number of Members of Parliament from both sides of the House. We were also pleased to host the President of Eurochambres, Christoph Leitl, who travelled to Malta for the event and addressed Parliament too.

POLICY AND DOCUMENTS In terms of research and policy, as a Chamber, we once again produced a number of landmark documents which propose recommendations to Government in favour of a competitivenessbased economy.

Surely, top of the list is our Economic Vison for Malta 2020-2025 which we launched in February 2020. This document reflects the ideas of Malta’s most prominent business leaders, together with the Chamber’s views, on where they see their sectors, and Malta’s economy in general, going in the next five years. The warm welcome it received by all was testament to a document containing more than 60 well-researched proposals.

Also tackled by our team and internal committee were the articulation and presentation of a position paper, press conference and follow-up, with regard to the latest Rent Laws passed by Parliament during the past year. The Chamber was highly vociferous in providing propositions of amendments for the new law to have a more positive effect once it was implemented.

As it is duty bound to do, the Chamber also played an active part in the consultation process preceding the 2019 Budget, with the submission of a pre-Budget document including six key proposals, together with recommendations for the implementation of each one. The Chamber also prepared a more extensive document which was the result of an internal consultation process in which feedback was collected from internal committees, working groups and individual members.

ENGAGEMENT WITH MEMBERS One of our main goals throughout the past year was to increase significantly the Chamber’s engagement with its members.

In particular, a central achievement was the establishment of the Young Chamber Network (YCN), which includes 70 CEOs under the age of 45. This new sector is fundamental in accomplishing the Chamber’s visions on further inclusion of younger generations of the business community.

Following its launch in July, two other YCN events were successfully organised. Members of the YCN were given an exclusive preview of the Economic Vision document during a Dialogue Session. In a separate event, they also had the opportunity to enjoy a golfing session under the guidance of professional coach Henning Schulze Doering from the Royal Malta Golf Club.

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Earlier in the year, the Chamber successfully implemented the MAKE IT campaign, which was aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in manufacturing. The campaign shed light on the great opportunities that exist in the manufacturing sector by exposing inspiring stories of young people who have chosen a rewarding career path in manufacturing.

Once again, the Chamber also hosted JAYE’s Leaders for a Day event at the Exchange Buildings. As Director General, I was also shadowed by a participant of this day-long programme which exposes aspiring leaders with top industry players and benefits both the participating students and businesses alike.

MEMBERSHIP AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT For the past year, the Chamber has been undergoing an extensive regeneration programme in every department, including that relating to membership and business development. Our team has been working endlessly on the impending launch of Electronic Certificates of Origin and online payment system, marking continuous improvement in this core business area in terms of quality and client experience.

This step follows on the finalisation of ICC accreditation, training and system installation.

In addition, the Chamber launched a new service with Identity Malta relating to Work Permit Processing.

Throughout the year under review, the Chamber managed to sign a number of Memoranda of Understanding with various institutions, including the Malta Institute of Accountants, the Chamber of Architects and the Chamber of Engineers. Another agreement signed by the Chamber in 2019 was the CyberSecurity Agreement, reflecting the Chamber’s views on cybersecurity as a risk that needs attention.

PROJECTS AND INTERNATIONALISATION Thanks to our team in the Projects and Internationalisation Department, the Chamber organised a great number of events on a European and international level. Through the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), the Chamber co-organised Brokerage Events and Company Missions targeting various sectors with the participation of 96 companies in over 500 meetings, such as a brokerage event held in Turkey. Over 200 companies in advisory services, partnering support and business reviews were also assisted through EEN. Meetings were held with the diplomatic corps, including ambassadors and

candidates for Honorary Consuls, to discuss potential cooperation and explore business opportunities for members. Moreover, a business mission to Turkey was co-organised during a state visit of H. E. the President of Malta.

Together with hosting various incoming delegations as part of the Tunisia Business Forum, the Malta-Japan Business Forum and the Malta-Bangladesh Business Forum, the Chamber also participated in promotional events for the China Import Expo Fair.

EVENTS, COMMUNICATIONS AND MEETINGS A highlight for 2019 was the summer event held at the Sheer Bastion, attended by circa 300 members. Another successful event was ‘Becoming Your Best’, a workshop on business management skills led by American author and life coach Steve Shallenberger.

On the local political sphere, over the past year, the Chamber organised a dialogue session with the Prime Minister, a ‘State of the Economy’ Conference and a dialogue with former Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business for the Chamber’s Manufacturing Economic Group.

The Malta Chamber also hosted a brokerage event at the Malta AI Blockchain Summit in May. This event welcomed 80 international business participants from 15 countries with over 160 B2B meetings. Together with the launch of Tech.MT, this initiative was part of an overall plan aimed at cementing the Chamber at the forefront of support for upcoming entrepreneurs and operators in the new economy, while encouraging economic activity in future and disruptive technologies.

Along with the stepping up of the Chamber’s social media activity, 2019 was a fruitful year for communications at the Chamber, with 54 press releases issued, including impactful statements on the national situation, 53 weekly Chamberlink electronic newsletters, six Commercial Courier editions, an Annual Administrative Report and an Economic Vision magazine, all published in the short period of one year.

As a final point, I would like to thank all of the staff at the Malta Chamber for their dedication and team-work. Under the guidance of the Board of Management, Council, Economic Groups and Committees, I look forward to another active year of service for the benefit of the business community.

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C O U N C I L O F T H E M A LTA C H A M B E R 2018-2019 Mr David Xuereb President

Mr Nicholas Xuereb Mr Charles A. Zahra

Ms Marisa Xuereb Deputy President

PA S T P R E S I D E N T S

Mr Hugh Arrigo Vice-President Mr Andrew W.J. Mamo Vice-President Ms Liz Barbaro Sant Member of the Board of Management Mr Matthias Fauser Member of the Board of Management Mr Chris Vassallo Cesareo Member of the Board of Management Mr Patrick Cachia Chairman, Manufacturers and Other Industries Economic Group Mr Ian Casolani Mr Reuben Cuschieri Mr Marcel Cutajar Mr Reginald Fava Mr Marcel K. Mifsud Chairman, Importers, Distributors and Retailers Economic Group Mr Joseph Pace Mr Matthew Sullivan Chairman, Services Providers Economic Group Mr Anthony Tabone Dr Alison Vassallo

Ms Johanna Calleja Manager – Statutory Affairs and Administration

Mr Louis Apap-Bologna Mr Anton Borg Mr Joe Caruana Curran Mr Tony Cassar Mr David G. Curmi Mr Joseph R. Darmanin Mr Anthony S. Diacono Ms Helga Ellul Mr Frank V. Farrugia Mr Louis A. Farrugia Mr Martin Galea Mr Victor A. Galea Mr Francis T. Gera Mr Joe Grioli Mr Stefano Mallia Mr Franco Masini Mr John E. Sullivan Mr Joseph N. Tabone Mr Tancred Tabone Mr Joe Zammit Tabona

Mr Edward Bonello Manager – Communications Mr Stefan Bajada Manager – Business Development Ms Rachel Micallef Manager – Projects Ms Julia Aquilina Executive – Policy Ms Melanie Cuzzoni Executive – Projects and Internationalisation Mr Kevin Mizzi Executive – Projects and Internationalisation Ms Elena Scicluna Executive – Education Mr Anthony Tanti Examinations Clerk

M A LTA C H A M B E R S TA F F

Ms Bernice Chircop Accounts Administrator

Mr Kevin J. Borg Director General

Ms Roberta Pisani Office Administrator

Mr Andre Fenech Head – Policy Development

Ms Cheryl Cardona Coordinator – Front Office

Mr Lino Mintoff Head – Projects and Internationalisation

Mr Joseph Fenech Support Staff

The Board of Management of the Malta Chamber 2019-2021

Mr Charles Maione Support Staff

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

1

2

5

8

9

3

4

6

7

10

February 2019: 1-5. Malta Chamber launches ‘Make It’ in collaboration with Malta Enterprise March 2019: 6-10. ‘Parliament for Enterprises’ gives Malta’s entrepreneurs opportunity to voice concerns and opinions

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

11

13

12

14

15

16

March 2019: 11-13. Chamber discusses state of the Maltese economy 14-16. Chamber holds Annual General Meeting

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

17

18

19

20

22

21

March 2019: 17. Perit David Xuereb elected 70th President of the Malta Chamber 18-19. Tech.mt launched in collaboration with Government of Malta April 2019: 20-21. Chamber delegation meets the Prime Minister 22. Chamber meets with President of Malta

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

23 1

24

26

25

27

28 5 7

29

30 9

31

April 2019: 23-25. Event on the Grand Harbour re-generation plan May 2019: 26-28. Malta Chamber Business Forum brings together Japanese and Maltese businesses 29-31. Malta Chamber hosts 80 Maltese and international businesses at AI and Blockchain Brokerage event

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

32 1

33

35

28 5 7 37

40

34

36 27

38

39

41

42

May 2019: 32-34. Members learn about New Employment Act June 2019: 35-36. Consultation on Single-use Plastic Strategy 40-42. Make It wins prestigious National Enterprise Support Award

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

43 1

44

45

46

47

48 5 7

49

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52 9

50

53

July 2019: 43-45. Business forum promotes opportunities with Bangladesh 46-47. The Residential Leases Act falls short of achieving true objectives August 2019: 48-53. Launch of Young Chamber Network

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

54 1

57

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60 5 7

63

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61

64 9

56

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65

August 2019: 54-56. Stakeholders meeting for Economic Vision 2020 and beyond September 2019: 57-59. Becoming leaders for a day 60-63. Malta Chamber hosts annual summer drinks at Sheer Bastion 64-65. Press conference launching Chamber proposals for pre-budget 2020

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

66 1

67

69

72 5 7

75

68

70 47

73

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October 2019: 66-67. Chamber Presdient addresses CyberSecurity Summit 68-69. Chamber presents pre-budget proposals to Prime Minister 70-71. Chamber President Perit David Xuereb addresses EY Malta Attractiveness Event 72-74. Malta Chamber and Google Developers Group organise AI readiness workshop for business 75-77. A Day with Steve Shallenberger held at the Chamber

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

78 1

79

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82 47

83

84 5 7

85

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October 2019: 78-79. Visit to Leader of Opposition November 2019: 80-81. Chamber holds seminar on future of pensions 82-84. Malta Chamber supports MCAST work based learning project 85-87. Young Chamber Network given exclusive preview of upcoming Economic Vision 88-89. Young Chamber Network members try their hand at golf

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

90 1

91

92

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94 47

95

96 5 7

99

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103

December 2019: 90-92. How on point is your AI-Marketing game - Event organised by the Marketing Committee January 2020: 93. Chamber delegation visits Archbishop 94-96. Chris Fearne addresses Malta Chamber Members 99-102. Malta Chamber close to business 103. Malta Chamber presents document on good governance to Prime Minister

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POLICY

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POLICY POSITIONS 2019-20 HOUSING WHITE PAPER The Malta Chamber’s rent working group was highly active during the year under review. In January 2019, the working group published its reactions to the Government’s White Paper on renting which was felt fell short of expectations in providing concrete, long-lasting solutions.

The document, published in October, proposed mandatory minimum leases as one possible means of tackling the instability and uncertainty of six-month leases. It also recommended financial incentives for contracts longer than a year.

The Chamber of Commerce said the White Paper did not give solutions that would overcome the issues causing the prevailing rental problems. It called for a “clear and directional role” for the Planning Authority in ensuring supply of affordable housing.

The planning watchdog had to ensure housing prevented overdevelopment for speculative purposes, the Chamber said, recommending a thorough audit of all private and public vacant property followed by efforts to put vacant property to good use.

It also called for feasible, effective and reversible housing solutions that created an immediate supply of “affordable, comfortable, yet, reversible” accommodation.

The status quo in the private rental sector was not sustainable, it warned. The organisation representing the private sector noted that the country’s economic growth brought excess demand for labour, which could not be satisfied with Maltese workers. The labour market, consequently, became reliant on the consistent attraction of additional foreign workers, it noted.

This has benefitted the country significantly from an output perspective but it is also cause for substantial stress on the country’s infrastructure and, most notably, on the housing market.

It noted that, due to the irreversible nature of construction, it would be detrimental for the country to flood the market with new residential property that could remain vacant when the economic cycle eventually turned.

PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL LEASES ACT Following this initial consultation on the Housing White Paper, the Government published a Bill titled ‘Private Residential Lease Act’ towards the end of June. The rent working group reviewed the document and argued that the Bill was going to fall short in achieving true objectives namely that of safeguarding and protecting the right to adequate, affordable accommodation for all residents.

Following this analysis, the working group held a press conference in July to present its recommendations on the subject. The working group argued that the Bill completely omitted pre-1995 residential leases and was introducing unacceptable and confusing concepts, such as lacunae in provisions distinguishing between short-term and long-term residential lease contracts. It also noted the troubling issue of exclusion from the regulations of shared bedrooms. Such a form of accommodation is believed to play a central role in the spiralling rental costs in the residential rental market.

Furthermore, this piecemeal approach did not cater for the impact of spiralling rental rates on the property and labour markets.

Nor did it provide protection from the resulting illegalities of low standard shared accommodation, consequently impacting the surrounding residential environment and Maltese community at large.

The working group therefore called on Government for this law to be re-drafted, given a broader scope and refined in concept to really constitute a much-needed reform of the rental market.

At the time of writing of this report, the Bill had been enacted and its enforcement due as from January 2020. In spite of the number of amendments which took into consideration some of the Chamber’s views, the Chamber still insisted that the law required further amendments and would continue making representations with the relevant authorities over the course of 2020.

SINGLE-USE PLASTICS In the light of the Government strategy document titled ‘Single-Use Plastic Products Strategy for Malta 2020-2030’, published in May 2019, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry embarked on

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a comprehensive internal and external consultation process to contribute a set of recommendations that effectively tackle the issues that impact the private sector in Malta at present with a view to alleviate the resulting societal and economic pressures. The Chamber carried out an extensive consultation with the impacted sectors listed in the strategy document and a consultation meeting was held at the Chamber premises. For more information see the Policy Events section.

In principle, the Chamber and the members it represents are in agreement with the goal of limiting certain plastics on the market and where and when possible reducing litter on the islands. Nevertheless, there are a number of key points which require the immediate attention of the policy-makers namely: 1) Government should not abdicate its role as the main enforcer and pass this responsibility onto the private sector and the EPR systems.

2) Clarity of definitions and the need to start discussions on the new legislative framework accompanying this strategy.

3) Proper enforcement among the general

public and establish a level playing field for all operators.

4) The need to invest in proper waste management infrastructure and where this is not possible, Government should intervene to assist the private sector to export their waste.

5) Carry out impact assessments of the impact these new regulations will have on the Maltese market.

FEEDBACK ON AMENDMENTS PROPOSED TO LN 72 OF 2013 During the month of June, the Malta Chamber was active in publicly commenting about the state of the construction and development sector in Malta. It argued that the industry needed to restore reputation with the people who deserved better. These comments were made in the light of a number of incidents which happened near construction sites which resulted in two adjacent buildings suffering extensive damages.

In June 2019, the Government published a consultation on amending L.N 72 of 2013 which relates to the avoidance of damage

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to third part property. While commending the Government’s urgent action to impose a temporary moratorium on demolition and excavation works, that following the consultation process on the proposed amendments to the Avoidance of Damage to Third Party Property Regulations, the Malta Chamber was of the opinion that the Legal Notice, while being a step in the right direction was tackling this important matter in a piecemeal fashion in relation to the wider extended operational and regulatory needs of the industry.

In its feedback, the Malta Chamber broadly welcomed any improvement to the sector but considered the amended Legal Notice to be a knee jerk reaction to the recent unfortunate incidents that have been happening on building sites. It is amply clear that the drafting of this law was carried out in a vacuum without due process to verify the relevance these amendments would have on other existing legislation. In the past, the Chamber had already made suggestions in this respect, stressing that Malta’s Building Regulations require to be drafted, embraced and administered professionally and ethically.

Moreover, the Chamber argued about the definition of the role of the site manager in that it was not defined properly and required further clarification. The Chamber noted that the site manager should form part of the contractor’s set-up and not an independent body engaged by the developer.

The Chamber also commented on the role of the stone mason which was completely overlooked, the building contractors’ register and the need to establish the new Building and Construction Authority at the earliest, which would ultimately assimilate a number of roles currently fragmented among various entities.

The Chamber also requested clarifications in terms of the ultimate responsible person for the method statement and geotechnical design report, and on the definition of construction work which remained unclear.

PRE-BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS As part of its annual efforts to propose to Government a number of recommendations, the Malta Chamber published its proposals for the 2020 Budget, during a press conference in September. The document titled ‘Proposals and Recommendations by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry for the 2020 Budget’, presents the views and recommended solutions of Malta’s business community to the challenges which were foreseen to characterise 2020.

Addressing the media during a press conference, Malta Chamber President David Xuereb said that the Chamber had chosen to focus its attention on six main issues which the Malta Chamber deemed to be of crucial importance and which warranted the Government’s immediate attention. In fact, the document zooms in on the issues of increased employment costs, alternative modes of transport, reforms in the rental market and the construction industry, the financial services sector, and RDI. While taking note of the positive drive that has characterised the economy of recent years, the Chamber warned of forecasts which appeared to point towards relatively slower rates of economic growth in the years to come.

The lower expansion rates ought to be given due attention in order to safeguard the buoyant rates of growth which our economic operators have become accustomed to in recent years. With this long-term view, the Malta Chamber made a series of recommendations to safeguard Malta’s businesses’ competitiveness and the country’s broader economic growth.

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In this respect, the Chamber warned about increased employment costs that were impacting businesses’ competitiveness. The continuous extension of leave allowances, increased labour mobility and shortage of labour, were all having a negative impact on increased labour costs.

The Chamber warned that these were directly impacting businesses’ competitiveness, especially those sectors which were competing on the international market. “Increased labour costs have by far become the number one challenge for most businesses operating in Malta,” the Chamber warned.

With this in mind, and in the immediate term, the Chamber recommended that a thorough analysis of labour-cost inflation vis-a-vis productivity is carried out. With a view of the long term, the Chamber said that Malta needed to aspire for an industry vision-driven educational system, which prepared our students for the jobs expected to be available tomorrow.

The Chamber also reiterated the importance of alternative modes of transportation, placing an emphasis on the solutions of mass transportation and shared mobility. While welcoming the Government’s drive to re-invest heavily in the country’s ageing infrastructure, the Chamber pointed out that more needed to be done to encourage alternative modes of transport other than the one-car-one-driver model.

In its pre-Budget proposals document, the Chamber was once again vociferous on the need for a holistic reform in the rental market.

Having gone on record saying that the latest proposed amendments fell short of solving any of the issues faced in the accommodation market, the Chamber reiterated that the rent market required a holistic approach, one which would tackle residential commercial leases and leases which pre-date the 1995 liberalisation of the rental market.

Focusing on the financial services sector, the Chamber also underlined the importance for this key sector to restore its image and reputation on the international dashboard.

In fact, the document recommended the immediate and tangible implementation of the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) strategy without further delays which would be coupled with adequate human and financial resources to make sure that due diligence is carried out by all financial operators.

The Chamber also expressed itself on the need for the country to elevate the Maltese construction and development sector, while respecting third parties and the environment. Fully cognisant of the fact that the construction and development sector employed thousands of workers, and contributed extensively to the economy, recent accidents on building sites could not be ignored as they were seen as the ultimate proof that the sector needed to be addressed forthwith.

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Finally, the Chamber noted that the expenditure on research, development and innovation needed to be increased, as Malta was seriously lagging behind in terms of expenditure on this front, as well as with regard to the number of post-secondary and tertiary graduates in STEM-related fields when compared to other European Union countries.

Hence the Chamber strongly recommended that Malta establishes a new Maltese Research Fund for competitive funding of basic and applied research, to be managed by MCST, as well as a serious and tangible increase in budget for the MCST-run programme ‘Fusion’ in order for it to fully attain the desired results.

POST-BUDGET REACTIONS Following the annual Government Budget speech held on 14th October, the Malta Chamber reacted by saying that it calls for further reform to strengthen the country’s competitiveness. In terms of taxes and schemes, the Chamber was pleased to note that its calls for Government not to introduce any surprise measures and new taxes were largely heeded. The Chamber noted the announced continuation of measures aimed to reduce single-use plastics, namely the introduction of a beverage container refund system and a staggered prohibition of the importation and sales of certain products over the coming two-year period.

At the same time, in the light of Malta’s slippage in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index by two places, the Chamber expected more investment in resources to strengthen the shortcomings exposed, namely the soundness of institutions, skills, market structure and financial systems.

The Chamber had consistently highlighted these shortcomings and continues to call for measures to ensure that key institutions in the island are adequately equipped and resourced with the right professional people to guide the country towards better competitiveness ranking required by Malta’s economic ambitions as a global player.

The Chamber observed references to incentivising new sectors such as tech, aviation, start-ups and video game development and eSports, as well as support to the manufacturing industry. It welcomed the modernisation of the Air Malta fleet and new facilities for the cruise liner sector. The Chamber also noted the announced measures that extend new digital technologies to University like blockchain. This, in addition to ¤7 million investment in the infrastructure of both MCAST and University, including laboratories.

In terms of the labour market, the Chamber took note of the announced decision to add a further day of vacation leave in lieu of public holidays falling on a weekend. In the light of the fact that this was the third day of additional leave being granted during this legislature, the Chamber reiterated its position that this will further intensify the cost of employment for Maltese companies, which is increasing to levels of concern particularly to those economic sectors which are expanding at below-average pace.

With regard to transport and infrastructure, the Chamber took note of the extension of incentives on alternative and cleaner modes of transport, such as electric vehicles and incentives for people to make use of public transport. The Chamber was disappointed to see that no further mention was made on alternative, multimodal methods of transport other than that mentioned in the current Budget speech.

WORK LIFE BALANCE DIRECTIVE TRANSPOSITION INTO MALTESE LAW The Malta Chamber, in collaboration with the three other employer bodies, prepared a document on their joint recommendations on the implementation of the Work life Balance Directive into Maltese law.

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The Work Life Balance Directive aims to improve families’ access to family leave and flexible work arrangements. It introduces minimum leave entitlements for paternity, parental and carers’ leave across all the European Union. An impact assessment carried out by the Malta Chamber in collaboration with the Malta Business Bureau showed that the impact on the private sector could amount to more than ¤50 million in terms of direct and indirect costs, and loss of productivity.

The directive, which was introduced in early 2019, has to be transposed into Maltese law by 2021. For this reason, the four employer bodies joined forces to draw up a single position on the subject.

The bodies agreed on the following key points: • Implementation and transposition of the directive should be pushed forward/delayed as far back as possible to give enough time to employers to prepare for changes and avoid disruptions in operations especially for micro companies and SMEs that will be have a higher adverse impact.

• Government should be financing the implementation of these leave entitlements.

• At the same time, the authorities should embark on an information campaign with HR managers and employers to explain the details of the directive and how it will be transposed into Maltese law. This should be done in collaboration with the four employer bodies.

• That the minimum leave entitlements such as paternal leave (minimum 10 days) and carers’ leave (minimum five days) introduced by the

directive should be the ones implemented by Maltese Government. There should be no goldplating or extension of any leave prescribed by the directive.

• That these leave entitlements become the official leave entitlements in terms of parental, paternity and carers’ leave, and that therefore the authorities should take the opportunity to harmonise the Wage Regulation Orders (WROs) into one piece of legislation and amalgamate all leave entitlements including others such as sick, bereavement, etc. The authorities should not allow for different sectors to have different leave entitlements.

At the time of writing, discussions on the transposition into Maltese law were still ongoing within the Employment Relations Board (ERB).

MALTA CHAMBER’S SUBMISSIONS ON GOOD GOVERNANCE During the month of December, the Malta Chamber prepared an extensive document on good governance. Titled ‘Ethical Business Calls for Change – a manifesto for Good Governance by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry’, the document contains more than 60 concrete recommendations in favour of a culture of good governance.

The document is the result of a decision taken by the Chamber’s Council in December 2019, in response to the legitimate concerns raised regarding the state of good governance in Malta. The Council in fact established a

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multidisciplinary working group made up of a number of expert contributors, tasked with researching and formulating a policy document on good governance and best ethical standards and practices for the country, to serve as valuable guidance for the incoming Prime Minister, in his efforts to tackle, at the earliest, the need to implement the necessary reforms.

The document notes how the country cannot expect to experience economic expansion and long-term economic stability without good governance because business cannot be sustained without economic and political stability.

The Chamber, as it has consistently done since the Panama Papers revelations, continues to insist on the unequivocal upholding of the three main pillars of good governance, namely accountability, transparency and the rule of law.

For this reason, the Chamber highlights the following recommendations that need to be implemented during the first 100 days of the new Prime Minister’s term:

• The new Prime Minister should address the allegations concerning major contracts and concessions signed in the last six to seven years.

• Undertake a review of the IIP scheme.

• Carry out an evaluation of the mode of appointment of positions of national importance and/or offices or positions created pursuant to or contemplated under the Constitution or under specific legislation and to reform such modes of appointment in accordance with democratic principles.

As amply reported, the document also contained a recommendation for the Prime Minister to appoint a Minister for Good Governance, a proposal which, to the Chamber’s satisfaction, was immediately adopted by the new Prime Minister when he was setting up his new Cabinet.

At the time of writing of this report, the Malta Chamber had presented the document to the President of Malta, the new Prime Minister in his first week in office, the Leader of the Opposition, the Archbishop of Malta and a number of key Cabinet members.

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POLICY EVENTS

MALTA CHAMBER HOLDS FIRST EDITION OF THE MALTESE PARLIAMENT FOR ENTERPRISES ‘The Maltese Parliament of Enterprises’, for the first time ever, offered Malta’s business leaders the opportunity to address Parliament and voice their concerns and opinions on a number of issues affecting the economy in Malta.

Participating entrepreneurs discussed themes such as skills in the modern labour market, competitiveness, sustainable development and research, development and innovation.

Christoph Leitl, President of EUROCHAMBRES and Frank V. Farrugia, President of the Malta Chamber also addressed Parliament.

Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia introduced the session as part of the Parliament’s outreach programme, stating that the House is open to all European citizens, and encourages citizens and civil society to participate in political discourse that transcends national borders.

“Economic operators should conduct business in an ethical way according to law, respecting consumer rights, worker rights and third-party rights,” said Dr Farrugia.

“We are part of the global market and the EU, so our operators need to be competitive at a global level,” he continued.

The Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and members of Parliament from both sides of the House reacted to the statements made by businesses. The session was organised in collaboration with the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and EUROCHAMBRES. MEMBERS LEARN ABOUT NEW EMPLOYMENT ACT Members of the Malta Chamber attended an information session about the new Employment and Training Services Act. The event, which was organised by the Malta Chamber in collaboration with Jobsplus, provided a detailed explanation about the main changes that were enacted in the new law.

Mario Xuereb, Head of Division: Employment Services at Jobsplus, delivered a presentation in which he explained that the main changes relate to new administrative penalties and fines concerning employment records and general employment.

Mr Xuereb explained that the new Act repeals the original Act and the focus will be to bring compliance in terms of employment records and illegalities. He stated that through this new Act, Jobsplus is embarking on a compliance campaign as its main interest is that of bringing all operators in line with the law. If the initial approach failed, the new law empowered

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Jobsplus to take action against any form of illegality at the workplace be it illegal employment of minors, foreign workers or lack of engagement or termination forms.

consultation meeting and those who sent submissions by email. The Chamber will followup on the progress of this strategy and keep its members informed on any developments.

The presentation was followed by an animated question and answer session which mainly focused on the delays being faced by employers in recruiting third-country nationals and getting their work and employment papers on time. The Chamber’s Head of Policy Development, Andre Fenech, moderated the session.

MALTA CHAMBER COMMITTED TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR

CONSULTATION ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS STRATEGY “The Single-Use Plastic (SUP) products strategy is a step in the right direction as long as the implementation and actions taken are proportionate to Malta’s small market and lack of economies of scale.” These were the introductory words of Adrian Mallia, the recently appointed Chairman of the Sustainable Development Committee of the Malta Chamber, in his intervention during a consultation meeting, held at the Chamber, during which the SUP strategy was presented

by ERA officials.

The ERA officials explained that the strategy forms part of the Government’s aim to enhance the circular economy.

The strategy identifies the products which will be impacted through market restrictions, economic instruments such as increased taxation, marking and products design, and through existing or new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programmes or schemes which will be now responsible for general litter for certain SUPs. These actions will be implemented between 2020 and 2030.

“The Malta Chamber remains committed towards the sustainability and continued development of the manufacturing sector in Malta,” said David Xuereb, as he addressed a breakfast meeting titled ‘Challenges and opportunities in the manufacturing sector in Malta’.

During the event, which was organised by the Chamber’s Manufacturers and other Industries Economic Group, the Chamber presented the results of a survey which it carried out with its members from the manufacturing sector, in which the key challenges faced by the sector were identified.

The impacted plastic products include, among others, carrier bags, beverage bottles, disposable cutlery and plates, containers for toiletries, cups and stirrers, tobacco product filters and detergent containers.

Commenting on the findings, Perit Xuereb said that at this time, and for the foreseeable future, the main issues faced by businesses in the sector were related to the shortage of labour, and increased wages and transport costs.

Following ERA’s presentation, a very active discussion ensued with the members present who had the opportunity to raise a number of issues related to the strategy. These included the lack of waste management facilities in Malta, the country’s market size, the fact that no impact assessments were carried out by Government on the impacted sectors, and the lack of clarity in the definitions used.

Making reference to the manufacturing sector’s share within the context of the greater economy, Perit Xuereb said that the sector’s Gross Value Added grew at a lower rate in the first half of 2019 when compared to the same period last year.

Following the event, the Malta Chamber prepared its own submissions based on the feedback gathered from members during this

He noted that industry remained a crucial pillar of the Maltese economy which employed over 10 per cent of the total workforce and which needed to be nurtured continuously by supporting constant improvements in export competitiveness factors.

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“The country needs to ensure that our operating costs and our overall investment conditions are better than those offered by other regions. Local and foreign investors alike no longer make decisions based on emotions but on pure facts and hard-data,” Perit Xuereb concluded.

During the event Minister Christian Cardona and Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia congratulated the Chamber for this initiative and took the opportunity to launch a number of new incentives aimed at the manufacturing sector which were not listed in the Budget speech. The event was further addressed by Patrick Cachia, Marisa Xuereb and Nick Xuereb.

CHAMBER HOLDS SEMINAR ON FUTURE OF PENSIONS On Monday 25th November, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry in collaboration with BOV organised an event titled ‘Occupational and Personal Pensions: A Sustainable Way Forward’. The event was organised to provide businesses with information about the fiscal incentives introduced by the Government in recent years, the Pension Framework and financial education for employees. The event was chaired and moderated by the Malta Chamber’s Human Resources Committee Chair, Catherine Calleja.

President of the Chamber, David Xuereb, delivered the opening speech stating that,

“the Chamber is concerned that entrants in the labour market today will receive a pension that is less adequate than that enjoyed by persons who retired between 2005 and 2010.”

Perit Xuereb also noted that the Chamber recognises the important work carried out

by Government in introducing voluntary retirement and personal pension schemes.

Within three years from the launch of these schemes, membership now stands at approximately 4,500. He added that more needs to be done. He urged Government to consult with providers of occupational and personal pensions schemes for their feedback and advice to increase their uptake in order to ensure that our future pension system remains sustainable.

The keynote address was given by David Spiteri Gingell, Chairman of the Retirement and Financial Capability Group – who focused on the occupational pension scheme as a strategic HR retention tool. Mr Spiteri Gingell commented about the fact that businesses today must operate in an employee’s market and be more competitive in their offers.

According to Mr Spiteri Gingell, employers should offer much more in order to compete for employees; therefore, offer pensions to attract and retain employees. He stated that, “research in the UK shows that employees are not only after a bigger salary or bonus. 82 per

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cent of UK employees said pensions were an important part of their benefits package, ahead of performance related bonuses, support for mental health and stress, and private medical insurance.”

Following the keynote address, BOV Head Bancassurance, Mario Farrugia, gave an account of the personal and workplace pensions offered by BOV. Speaking about third pillar pensions, Mr Farrugia mentioned that funds only become accessible between the ages of 61 and 70, and that the funds are 70 per cent taxable.

A discussion among the panellists ensued and they all highlighted different aspects to the pension system in Malta. Mr Spiteri Gingell commented about the possibility of an ‘auto-enrolment’ with an opt-out option within corporate structures. Alexia Frendo – Lead HR Business Partner within Kindred Group, discussed their own pension scheme and its uptake. Nicholas Xuereb – CFO at Toly Group, a multinational company that has pension schemes both in the UK and the USA, cited cost competitiveness as one

of the reasons a similar scheme would not work in Malta. Dr Matthew Brincat – General Secretary at Malta Association of Retirement Scheme Practitioners focused on the mobility requirements and its legal implications and implementation, and Mr Farrugia highlighted the difference between the services the bank offers. One of the challenges which was exposed by the panel was that the market is too saturated with limited returns on investment opportunities, forcing pension providers to invest in higher yielding investments which were deemed risky.

BOV Chief Business Development Officer Kenneth Farrugia closed the discussion and thanked the Chamber for its constant collaboration. He said that the first pensions pillar will remain unsustainable. If no alternative systems are in place, the fiscal burden on the next generations entering the labour market will continue to increase to sustain an evergrowing ageing population. He urged all stakeholders, including the private sector and the authorities, to open discussions to seek a long-term plan.

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POLICY COMMITTEES SUSTAINABILITY The Sustainability Committee was regenerated towards the end of 2019, and it includes representatives from diverse sectors to ensure that the positions that are taken are holistic and representative. The Committee which is chaired by Adrian Mallia agreed that its priorities should be reflective of the policies being pushed forward at an EU level and that are beneficial and relevant for the Maltese industry.

The EU Green Deal The Sustainability Committee has met with MEP Miriam Dalli, who is one of the lead negotiators for the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) within the European Parliament on the EU Green Deal. Dr Dalli gave a detailed explanation, accentuating the key actions within the Deal that will affect the Maltese industry. It was agreed that the Committee will keep in constant contact with Dr Dalli to ensure that the Malta Chamber is kept in the loop and to provide feedback when the need arises.

R&I Strategy on Energy and Water This year, the Energy and Water Agency launched a consultation session on research

and innovation within the energy and water sector. The agency was invited to deliver a presentation to the Committee that in turn provided feedback. The meeting also highlighted the importance of guaranteeing that the Malta Chamber and the Energy and Water Agency have a direct line of communication, to ensure that there is no gap between the Malta Chamber and the authorities. The Sustainability Committee will therefore remain active in promoting this bond and will strive to be effective.

HUMAN RESOURCES The Human Resources Committee is active in understanding the challenges the industry is facing in relation to employment and employee retention. The Committee has agreed upon an Action Plan that aims to produce solutions to these challenges. As a result, a set of priorities were established: (i) Parental leave in terms of the transposition of the Work Life Balance Directive into Maltese law, (ii) Wage Inflation, (iii) Mandatory Trade Union Membership, (iv) Issues related to Third Country Nationals and (v) the Employment and Industrial Relations Act.

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Parental Leave in Terms of the Transposition of the Work Life Balance Directive into Maltese Law The Work Life Balance Directive is now being transposed into Maltese law and the Malta Chamber has been active in the discussion with other social partners and the Government to ensure that the impact on employers would be limited. For more information on the subject see the Policy section.

Issues Related to Third Country Nationals The industry has been facing a plethora of issues in relation to the permits granted to third country nationals. The Committee is willing to meet the relevant authorities to ensure that these issues are resolved and to promote better collaboration with the authorities.

Occupational Pensions As part of the Chamber’s collaboration with the Bank of Valletta, the HR Committee was included in the setting up of the Malta Chamber’s conference on ‘Occupational Pension.’ Catherine Calleja, as Chairperson of the Committee, moderated the event, while Alexia Frendo and Dr Matthew Brincat sat on the panel and shared their perspective and experience with the audience. The event was deemed a success; it was well-attended and promoted a healthy discussion on the validity and the future of the pension system in Malta.

The Committee onboarded this as one of its priorities and is working on providing feedback to the authorities.

The Committee agreed to conduct a questionnaire in December among the members of the Malta Chamber to find out whether they are aware of the Family Business Office and of the services it offers.

The questionnaire also asked respondents to propose other services that the Office could offer in the future. The questionnaire was well-received, and at the time of writing, a report was compiled based on the responses collected.

Work Plan 2020-2021 Being the home of business, the Malta Chamber is vital in ensuring that the business community has easier access to the Family Business Office. Indeed, the plan is to train staff to be able to answer any queries related to the Office. Furthermore, Dr Gerada will be meeting members on a one-to-one basis as part of an outreach programme.

The Committee is also discussing the possibility of organising a conference following the success of a previous event held by the Malta Chamber in October 2018 entitled ‘A Family Affair’.

MARKETING

FAMILY BUSINESSES The Malta Chamber established a Family Business Committee in January 2019. The Committee is chaired by Andrew W. J. Mamo and is further made up of numerous experts in this field and family business owners or family business members. The Family Business Office (FB0) regulator sits on the Committee on an ex-officio basis. During the year under review, the Committee discussed themes such as shareholding, structure, governance, the sustainability of existing business models, procedure, finance, and succession.

Following the appointment of Dr Joe Gerada, who succeeded Dr Nadine Lia, as Regulator of the Family Business Office, the Committee started meeting again in November. During the initial meetings, Dr Gerada highlighted that the aim of the Office is to diversify its services, increase the numbers of its registered members and to reform its outreach programme. Dr Gerada and the Committee have agreed a way forward based on the aims of the Family Business Office.

The Marketing Policy Committee was reconvened in May 2019 and the Committee was re-elected for the new term 2019-2021.

The main activity of the year was an event on Marketing and AI, entitled ‘How on-point is your AI-Marketing Game?’, held on 12th December 2019.

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‘How on point, is your AI-Marketing game?’, provided a broad overview of the disruptive technology and sought to answer questions on the subject that are pertinent to business. The event featured input from academia, industry, Tech.MT, as well as the legal field.

Welcoming guests, Chamber President David Xuereb noted how AI surrounds us, and is present in every aspect of our lives, as it characterises our personal lives as consumers and our professional lives as people in business.

Mr Xuereb explained that the Malta Chamber was undertaking a pro-active role to help its members better understand how AI can be useful to them. He noted that in October the Chamber teamed up with Google Developers Group and hosted an ‘AI readiness workshop’ which offered an opportunity to businesses to understand if their businesses were ready to exploit the potential of this new technology.

“As a Chamber we are committed to contribute towards helping develop the necessary talent, investment, and ecosystem to allow the AI sector to flourish, from start-ups to bigger tech leaders. Positioning our companies as disrupters rather than followers can attract positive social and economic transformation for businesses to shape Malta’s future,” Perit Xuereb said.

The Chamber President also remarked that on a macro level, the Chamber had partnered with Government and created Tech.MT, with the aim to position Malta as a quality, creative, tech-savvy country, and to promote Malta as a suitable set-up for foreign direct investment, while also promoting local technological industries abroad.

Dr John Abela, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, delivered a key-note speech about AI and on how this technology is expected to completely disrupt the way business is done.

Dr Abela explained that there is no magic formula for the technology and for its remarkable achievements, while the fruit of the technology itself is its ability to learn and to teach itself efficient ways on how to solve problems.

Sarah Suda, Solution Delivery Manager at EBO. ai, provided insight on how the organisation was using AI to carve itself a niche in the market of automated chatbots.

Ms Suda spoke about the challenges of adapting to an ever-changing technological landscape, and how the current marketing practices and upcoming trends were expected to disrupt business models. Ms Suda shared practical examples of how AI in marketing works in practice, and how natural language processing and conversational AI work.

A panel discussion moderated by Jo Caruana ensued with the participation of Carm Cachia –Chief Administrator eSkills Malta Foundation, Francois Grech – Deputy Chair Tech.MT and Dr Jackie Mallia – Equinox Advisory.

Marketing Committee chair Louis Olivieri concluded the event with a round-up of the main take-aways, and the salient points made by the speakers. The event generated enough interest to warrant the possibility of a repeat during 2020.

Way forward for 2020 A report featuring a business plan for the workings of the Committee was presented to the Malta Chamber’s President. An implementation plan will be drawn up in 2020 to reflect the vision shared by the President for the future of the Committee to align it with the overall vision of the Malta Chamber for the next years.

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SECTORS

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ECONOMIC GROUPS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS IMPORTERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS ECONOMIC GROUP Mr Marcel K. Mifsud – Chairman Mr Anthony Tabone – Deputy Chairman Mr Reginald Fava Mr Andrew W.J. Mamo Mr Christopher Vassallo Cesareo Mr Charles A. Zahra MANUFACTURERS AND OTHER INDUSTRIES ECONOMIC GROUP Mr Patrick Cachia – Chairman Mr Nicholas Xuereb – Deputy Chairman Mr Ruben Cuschieri Mr Matthias Fauser Mr Joseph Pace Ms Marisa Xuereb

SERVICES PROVIDERS ECONOMIC GROUP Mr Matthew E. Sullivan – Chairman Ms Liz Barbaro Sant – Deputy Chairman Mr Hugh Arrigo Mr Ian Casolani Mr Marcel Cutajar Dr Alison Vassallo

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ECONOMIC GROUPS IMPORTERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS ECONOMIC GROUP The Importers, Distributors and Retailers Economic Group (IDREG) met on nine occasions throughout the year under review.

The new executive board was elected in April 2019, with Mr Chris Vassallo Cesareo appointed as Chair and also includes Anthony Tabone, Andrew W. J. Mamo, Frank V. Farrugia, Reginald Fava and Charles Zahra, with Marcel Mifsud and Charles Borg co-opted to the board.

The following issues were discussed: • New development in the sector • Abuse in free movement of goods and parallel trading • Excise duties • Beverage Containers Deposit and Refund System • Simplification of work and residence permits of third country nationals • New residential leases agreements Analysis of Members Falling within the Importers Economic Group During the month of June, the executive board took the decision to analyse the current composition and membership within the Economic Group. An internal analysis showed that a number of members were not involved within the Chamber’s structures, particularly the current business sections falling under IDREG. The executive board agreed to start meeting inactive members within the group to better understand the challenges being faced by the different segments.

Internal market study by Grant Thornton In July, the IDREG members invited MBB CEO, Joe Tanti, and representatives of Grant Thornton to discuss a study about the EU single market which was being carried out

by Grant Thornton on the MBB’s behalf. The study was going to focus on the impact the single market has on local operators since EU accession.

Grant Thornton officials explained that were currently conducting interviews with a number of sectoral groups within the Chamber to assess the positive and negative impacts the single market has had on Maltese businesses.

Those present raised issues linked to labelling, especially in terms of foodstuff, the issue of abuse in free movement of goods and fair competition, and a number of benefits which included the removal of duties and levies on

EU products. Members present also raised a number of other issues such as the one size fits all approach the EU institutions were taking such as in the case of GDPR. They also raised the issue of excessive regulation which is having an impact on many operators. They finally concluded with the issue related to human resources shortages and the problems and delays being faced in bringing third country nationals to Malta due to Schengen rules. The feedback provided by the IDREG was thereafter incorporated in a final report which was presented during an event held at the Chamber premises in October. Mr Vassallo Cesareo represented the IDREG during a panel discussion in which he raised a number of issues the sector was facing due to increased competition from other European operators.

Change in Chairmanship During the month of October, Mr Frank V. Farrugia resigned from his official roles within the Malta Chamber since he was appointed as the Chairman of the Broadcasting Authority.

For this reason, Chris Vassallo Cesareo was nominated to the Chamber’s Board of Management and Marcel Mifsud was elected as full member of the executive board. During a meeting held in October, Mr Mifsud was unanimously appointed as the new Chairman of the executive board.

Meetings with Customs on BREXIT In the run-up to Great Britain’s exit from the European Union, the IDREG Chairman held a number of meetings with the Customs Director General and other officials to discuss the new developments related to BREXIT and how it would impact goods coming from the UK. At the time of writing the UK had just exited the EU and a transition period initiated during which the UK and the EU had to negotiate their future relationship after the end of 2020. It was agreed that in the run-up to the December 2020 deadline the Importers executive board and Customs officials would meet again to organise a number of joint information sessions to provide more details on the new procedures and developments in terms of trade between the two countries.

HEALTHCARE The HealthCare Executive Committee maintained an excellent channel of communication with the CPSU and held two meetings in 2019. The Committee is working closely with CPSU in their introduction of a revised Template of Orders and a new form

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for Medical Materials and Devices, to ensure that they are implemented in a manner that is compatible with best industry practice.

Besides maintaining close contact with CPSU with regard to further changes to be implemented, the Committee held a meeting for all its members to discuss the new Medical Devices Directive (MDD) and the shift of the local responsibilities from MCCAA to the Medicines Authority. To this end the Business Section formed a medical devices working group to act as a consultation body and ensure that the changes both in the implementation of the new regulations and the shift of authority responsibilities are carried out in an appropriate manner. The Committee’s agenda also includes the close monitoring of developments in the implementation of the FMD through MaMVO and remaining active in discussions aimed at influencing a local implementation which is suitable to our small market.

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY LEAD PHARMACISTS Among the topics considered by the Executive Committee during 2019 was the possibility of PhD students being sponsored in order to obtain practice. The students would be

contracted to work for their sponsors for a specified period of time, failing which they would be required to return the value of the sponsorship.

Changes were expected to the POYC agreement which was due to expire during 2019. The changes would mean that pharmacies would be required to purchase the stock and would allow for them to make a mark-up on prices.

The Executive Committee met with H.E. the President of Malta in order to discuss the supply of oncology drugs through the Community Chest Fund.

WINES AND SPIRITS, BEVERAGES AND TOBACCO The Wines, Spirits, Beverages and Tobacco Executive Committee retained its excellent rapport with Customs and worked with the department to iron out any challenges which might have arisen prior to the introduction of the new excise duty band for alcoholic beverages with alcoholic content between 10 per cent and 24 per cent. Following a series of extensive discussions, the department and the Executive Committee agreed to a

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set of principles, based on which the new guidelines were set. This pro-active approach spearheaded by the members of the Executive Committee ensured that the new requirements would not inflict unnecessary burdens on its members’ operations.

With the prospect of the UK leaving the EU with a No Deal on 31st October 2019, the Executive Committee of the Wines, Spirits, Beverages and Tobacco Business Section approached Customs to clarify potential emerging challenges vis-à-vis stock in bond and consignments in transit.

The Executive Committee held a meeting with the Customs Department, to point out a number of challenges being faced by industry stakeholders, with the new excise duty band which was introduced as from the 1st October 2019. Following a series of discussions, the Department and the Executive Committee agreed to amend the Instruction Notice which was originally issued in July 2019, to offer better guidance and reassurance on the affixing of the excise duty band.

MANUFACTURERS AND OTHER INDUSTRIES ECONOMIC GROUP The Manufacturing and other Industries Economic Group (MEG) met on 10 occasions throughout the year under review. The new executive board was elected in April 2019, with Patrick Cachia appointed as Chair and also includes Marisa Xuereb, Matthias Fauser, Joseph Pace, Nicholas Xuereb and Ruben Cuschieri, with Brian Muscat and Doreen Cutrona co-opted to the board.

Analysis of Members falling within the Manufacturing Economic Group During the month of May, the executive board took the decision to analyse the current composition and membership within the Economic Group. An internal analysis showed that a number of members were not involved within the Chamber’s structures and it was decided to reach out to members through a survey.

Manufacturing Challenges Survey During the months of June and July a survey was prepared and circulated among all MEG members to request feedback on the challenges being faced by the sector. A concerted effort was made to reach as many companies as possible and at the end of the exercise close to half of all companies falling under the MEG responded to the survey. A very good mix of SMEs and larger enterprises responded to the survey.

The key challenges indicated by the members in the survey were labour costs and labour shortages, transport costs and traffic congestion and utilities. The executive board agreed to present the results in an action plan on how to tackle these issues during an event with the Economic Group members. The event, which took the form of a business breakfast, was organised in October and included the participation of a number of manufacturing operators and other key stakeholders such as the Ministry of the Economy, Malta Enterprise, University of Malta, MCAST and Jobsplus. For more information about this event, view the Events section.

Manufacturing Make IT Campaign Throughout 2019 the MAKE IT campaign was launched. MAKE IT was a campaign which ran from February to June 2019, aimed at promoting careers in Malta’s manufacturing industry. It targeted young teenagers who are making initial career choices as well as their parents, who often influence the choices made by their children.

The campaign showcased the rewarding career paths offered by industry through numerous video testimonials while also portraying the modern and advanced realities of manufacturing operations in Malta in order to reverse incorrect negative perceptions surrounding industry in general.

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The campaign was mainly carried out through social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) and the participation of Chamber officials in TV and radio programmes.

The campaign was an overall success with thousands of hits on the social platforms and requests from schools to promote the video testimonials with students.

In recognition of the success of the overall campaign, the Malta Chamber entered the project as a nominee for the National Enterprise Support Awards (NESA) 2019 organised by the Ministry for the Economy and ranked second place overall.

At the time of writing, the MEG executive board was in discussions with Malta Enterprise to extend the campaign further over the course of 2020.

Constant Dialogue with Ministry for the Economy and Malta Enterprise During 2019, the Manufacturing Economic Group maintained dialogue with the Ministry for the Economy and Malta Enterprise to discuss the key challenges being faced by industry. A series of meetings were held with Malta Enterprise officials during which issues such aid assistance and new pilot schemes for deliveries and transportation of employees to industrial parks were discussed. Meetings were also held with the new Malta Enterprise CEO, Kurt Farrugia, to discuss issued related

to labour shortages and increased labour costs in the sector, MEG proposals related to energy costs, and the continuation of the MAKE IT campaign. It was also agreed that during 2020, these meetings would be held on a quarterly basis.

Working Groups In December, the executive board decided to divide the work between three working groups, one focusing on labour shortages in the sector, led by Marisa Xuereb, one led by Ruben Cuschieri focusing on transport and shipping costs, and another focusing on labour costs and productivity, chaired by Matthias Fauser. At the time of writing the working groups were establishing the key action points and meetings had already been held including with MCAST Principal, Prof. James Calleja, to discuss shortages at technicians’ level and how the vocational institute can assist in this respect.

Exposing Tomorrow’s Workforce to Careers in Manufacturing Throughout 2019, the members of the Manufacturing Group continued to offer workbased learning opportunities to students in Malta. MEG collaborated closely with career guidance initiatives led by the Ministry for Education and Employment’s National School Support Services Department in order to offer numerous students in Forms Three and Four exposure to industry.

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Several classes of Form Three students had the opportunity to visit a number of manufacturing operations and witness the modern and diverse state of the industry in Malta, while an encouraging number of Form Four students opted for one-week career exposure experiences in the field of engineering among members of the Manufacturing Economic Group.

To this end, the Chamber assisted the department in securing work placements for each and every student, while also offering guidance to the host company on how best to organise the one-week placement in order to maximise the student’s engagement and interest in the sector.

The feedback received from a majority of participants in both these initiatives was overwhelmingly positive and led to increasingly positive forecasts in the take-up for the career exposure experiences in manufacturing in the forthcoming scholastic year.

Go4Industry – Teacher Internship Programme For the second year running, the Malta Chamber Manufacturing Economic Group, in collaboration with the Ministry for Education and Employment launched the ‘Go4Industry’ Teacher Internship Programme.

The programme is aimed at exposing teachers of science subjects in secondary schools to the realities, opportunities and cutting-edge technologies in Malta’s industry in order for them to be more knowledgeable and better positioned to guide their teaching and their students towards their future careers.

the first edition of ‘Go4Industry – Teacher Internship Programme’ were also distributed during the event.

During the launch held on 4th July, Marisa Xuereb, Deputy President of the Malta Chamber, said that it was clear that those countries which were not investing enough in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM subjects), would eventually fall behind in terms of competitiveness.

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS The main focus of the Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Committee remained training provision. As part of the drive to address this issue, the Chamber organised and coordinated an IPC (the International Association Connecting Electronic Industries) Certification course on Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies. Due to the high response rate, an additional session was needed. Both sessions were delivered by international IPC specialists in the field. The Committee was also active in providing opportunities for company visits to career advisors from the Education Department.

The launch was also addressed by Stephen Cachia, Director General at the Ministry for Education and Employment, and featured a panel discussion with the participation of James Magro – biology teacher and intern at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc; Mariella Galea – Learning and Development and Performance Manager, Simonds Farsons Cisk plc; Andre Fenech – Head of Policy Development, Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry; and Gaetano Bugeja – Director, Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes. Certificates of participation in

FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROCESSORS The Food and Beverage Processors Executive Committee continued to work on its agenda and discuss the lack of unloading facilities, staff/skills shortages, sick leave management, and the Beverage Container Refund Scheme.

The Committee was alerted by its Business Section members about the matter related to increased costs being incurred at Kordin Grain Terminal (KGT) as a result of the breakdown of its equipment (crane) in July 2019. The Committee made the necessary representations with the Minister for the

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Economy, Investment and Small Business as well as with Kordin Grain Terminal. As a result, it was agreed that KGT will revert forthwith to its pre-August 2018 tariff. Moreover, it was agreed that KGT will issue refunds to affected clients of extra costs incurred since August 2018 due to the new tariff which has now been reversed.

PLASTICS AND RUBBER MANUFACTURERS The Plastics and Rubber Manufacturers Committee remained active in discussions and consultation on Chamber positions such as rental cost, the Work Life Balance Directive and Cola. The Executive Committee focused on an alignment with the Executive Committee of the Manufacturing Economic Group to identify a long-term plan of action for the Business Section.

SERVICES PROVIDERS ECONOMIC GROUP The Services Providers Economic Group (SPEG) met on five occasions throughout the year under review. The new executive board was elected in April 2019, with Matthew Sullivan appointed as Chairman and also

includes Hugh Arrigo, Liz Barbaro Sant, Alison Vassallo, Marcel Cutajar and Ian Casolani.

Analysis of Members Falling Within the Importers Economic Group An analysis of the Services Providers Economic Group (SPEG) was carried out by the Chamber’s Policy Unit. The analysis included the frequency of meetings of the SPEG and the respective Business Sections falling under the Economic Group since 2011. It was reported that the lack of homogeneity and issues which are common to all members represented within SPEG members was leading to the lack of interest in SPEG. The analysis also noted that many Business Sections with the exclusion of yachting, ICT, Tourism and Logistics were inactive. In terms of representation, the SPEG was the largest Economic Group, representing 620 members. In terms of representation by NACE, the four largest sector groups were Transportation and Storage, ICT, Financial Services and Professional, Scientific And Technical Services, representing over 68 per cent of total SPEG members.

The analysis also indicated that more than 50 per cent of those who indicated no

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interest in a particular Business Section indicated an interest in one of the Chamber’s horizontal policy committees which could signify that rather than work through vertical structures, it would be more sensible to look into the possibility of extending the remit of the horizontal committees. The analysis presentation was concluded by showing the key issues which were being tackled by the different business sections and the main findings which determined that most were tackling the same issues and challenges that were not specific to their sector but rather of a general interest such as supply of human resources, traffic and congestion, among others.

The executive board argued that the Chamber needed to offer more value to its members by focusing on horizontal issues such as banking and the problems with accessing finance, disruptive technologies, employment and human resources issues, sustainable development and the environment, among others.

Internal Market study by Grant Thornton The Chairman invited Malta Business Bureau (MBB) officials to attend an SPEG meeting to discuss an MBB report about the EU single market and its impact on businesses in Malta.

The Chairperson of the different business sections falling under the SPEG were all invited

to attend. Grant Thornton, who was carrying out the study on behalf of the Malta Business Bureau, explained in detail the terms of reference of the analysis.

Issues raised during the meeting included, among others, matters related to the shipping and yachting industries such as increased cruise liners calling at the Maltese harbours, the reduction of administrative burdens such as in the case of the Electronic Invoicing Directive, the increased number of tourist arrivals from the European Union and the opportunities that low cost airlines had brought to the island in terms of new routes. The feedback gathered during the meeting was included in a final report that was presented during an event held in October. Matthew Sullivan represented the SPEG during a panel discussion at the same event.

FINANCIAL SERVICES The Financial Services Executive Committee concentrated its efforts on addressing the challenges faced by the industry, in particular the new emerging risks emanating from the drive towards financial innovation and technology, and from the international regulatory developments. It also followed closely recent local developments, some of which may negatively impact the trust in the financial services. The Committee held a meeting with MFSA officials in order to discuss

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and consult on the changes and actions the authority will be taking in the forthcoming months in order to achieve its three-year strategic objectives. The Committee also held a meeting with the Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA) to discuss the Consultation Document issued by the MFSA, on raising the bar for Company Service Providers (CSPs), which proposed revisiting the regulatory framework for CSPs extending its scope to eliminate any existing supervisory gaps and harmonise market entry requirements. The outcome of this meeting resulted in a joint position, between the Chamber and the MIA, in reaction to the proposals, even in line with the memorandum of understanding signed last July between the two organisations, intended to provide a structure for collaboration between the two bodies and ensuring a seamless implementation in the interest of all industry stakeholders.

TECH The Tech Executive Committee continued to concentrate its efforts on working with Government to finalise the Tech.MT initiative and pursue its defined objectives. Tech.MT was officially launched on 25th March 2019 after which the Committee continued to assist the foundation with the identification of objectives, the draft of its business plan, and the initial setup of its infrastructure.

LOGISTICS The Logistics Executive Committee continued to focus its efforts on providing Government sectorial feedback throughout the Parliamentary process of the Malta Free Zones Act until its publication on 31st May 2019.

The Committee continued to work closely with Malta Enterprise with the formation of a working group, with the remit to keep the momentum going toward the realisation of a working Logistics Hub. The Committee remains committed to be the voice of the local logistics industry and to provide its expertise on matters such as the review of the legislation, pointing out issues that can hinder industry, identifying potential investors for the Logistics Hub, streamline proposals on how to eliminate bureaucracy and brainstorm to overcome challenges as they arise.

SHIPPING AND BUNKERING During 2019, members of the Executive Committee of the Shipping and Bunkering Business Section participated in information meetings including the Maritime Consultation Session: the future of Malta’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, the Consultative Meeting on the Valletta Grand Harbour ReGeneration Plan and an Information Session on LNG for Shipping organised by MEUSAC.

The Chairman represented the Business Section by actively contributing to meetings of the Services Providers Economic Group.

TOURISM The Tourism Executive Committee continued to meet regularly, with its main focus remaining the growing challenges that the Maltese tourism industry is currently facing.

In preparation for the 2020 Budget, the Committee compiled an extensive report which sums up a list of recommendations which the country needs to focus on with a sense of urgency, in order to ensure that Malta does not jeopardise the achievements registered to date. The Committee also held a meeting with the Minister for Tourism and officials from the Malta Tourism Authority, during which the same report was presented and the recommendations discussed in detail.

The outcome of the meeting resulted in an agreement to hold structured meetings between the Chamber’s Tourism Business

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Section, the Ministry for Tourism and the Malta Tourism Authority, with the aim of continued collaboration towards maintaining a healthy tourism sector.

YACHTING SERVICES The Yachting Services Executive Committee concentrated its efforts on identifying and exploiting unique selling points for the local yachting sector to diversify in services and retain its market position. To this end, the Committee held a meeting with the Commissioner for Revenue and Customs Officials, in order to seek to strengthen other procedures that serve the industry, such as the procedures relating to the importation of yachts, with a view to rendering their application within the relative provisions of law as attractive and as smooth as possible. The outcome of the meeting resulted in extending the incentives currently pertaining to the importation of aircraft also to yachts, with the same method of calculation being applied also

to bank guarantees set up in the context of the granting of a deferral on the importation of yachts.

The Committee held a consultation meeting and information session for its members regarding procedures affecting the importation of yachts and transport contracts. The meeting provided members with an update on discussions held with the authorities regarding the application of importation procedures and invited members to share their experiences and provide any suggestions going forward. The session also covered discussions on particular customs procedures and the chartering of yachts.

The Committee also continued to provide its support to the Ministry for Finance and the authorities concerned in the handling of the discussions relative to the hiring of pleasure yachts that have been underway with the Commission for the past months.

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PROJECTS AND INTERNATIONALISATION

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The Malta Chamber, through its Internationalisation Desk, supports its global vision by organising initiatives and events, raising awareness, and facilitating the pursuit of collaboration with other international organisations to foster business growth for its members, to achieve the following four goals: 1. Assist members to participate in partnering activities that develop and foster business growth through internationalisation.

2. Promote and provide business opportunities in markets that foster tangible economic growth among members.

3. Foster the development of international trade cooperation through appropriate institutions.

4. Maintain excellent relations with international institutions that share similar aspirations for business growth through international cooperation.

INCOMING AND OUTGOING DELEGATIONS The following are other incoming and/ or outgoing delegations organised by the Internationalisation Desk during 2019: 5 February 2019 3rd Malta-Tunisia Business Forum The Malta Chamber organised a Malta-Tunisia Business Forum on 5th February 2019, the third of its kind in a span of 14 months, a clear testament to the commitment to consolidate the healthy relationship between Malta and Tunisia, and to provide tangible opportunities for the respective business communities.

The Business Forum, which was hosted by the Malta Chamber, formed part of a state visit to Malta by H.E. Beji Caid Essebsi, the Head of State of the Republic of Tunisia. The Business Forum brought together more than 50 businesspersons from Malta and Tunisia in a successful meeting of ideas and collaboration.

The event was attended by former President of Malta, H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, and officials from the Tunisian Embassy in Malta and UTICA, who helped with the organisation of the event.

18 March 2019 Promotional Event: Canton Fair and China International Import Expo 2019 The Malta Chamber sees in China a strong partner that provides Maltese businesses with immense opportunities on both import and export directions. Indeed, the Malta Chamber had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in 2018, aimed to facilitate support for businesses through various initiatives. In the light of the above, the Malta Chamber organised a promotional event of

the 125th edition of the Canton Fair and China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2019, together with Trade Malta, in collaboration with the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s office of the Embassy of China in Malta and the China Foreign Trade Centre.

The event provided practical information on two important business fairs, demonstrating how such occasions create an open platform for international cooperation where businesses from all countries, including Maltese, may meet in one place and share their experiences in a spirit of commercial collaboration. The event was addressed by the Carmelo Abela, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion; H.E. Jiang Jiang, Ambassador for the People’s Republic of China in Malta and Xu Bing, Vice-President of the China Foreign Trade Centre. They explained how China is moving from rapid growth to high-quality production, providing fertile ground for business matchmaking opportunities. During the event, Moira Attard, Director General within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality, encouraged the interested companies to make use of the SME Internationalisation Grant scheme, an EU co-funded grant scheme, to support Maltabased companies to exhibit their products and solutions during overseas business fairs.

Furthermore, a cooperation agreement between the China Foreign Trade Centre and the Maltese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce was renewed, promoting measures aimed to increase investment opportunities between our two nations.

30 May 2019 Malta-Japan Business Forum Malta-based business representatives met senior officials from prominent Japanese companies who have a base in Italy, during a Business Forum organised by the Malta Chamber of Commerce Enterprise and Industry in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in Italy and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Italy.

Malta Chamber President, David Xuereb, welcomed the delegation led by H.E. Keiichi Katakami, Ambassador of Japan to Malta.

He highlighted the Chamber’s role as an influential interlocutor for fostering existing and new business relations between Malta and Japan. The President also remarked on the fact that both Japan and Malta are part of Enterprise Europe Network, which facilitates the internationalisation and partnering opportunities of Maltese and Japanese companies.

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Ambassador Katakami lauded the significant improvement in commercial and economic ties since the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, and announced the imminent opening of the Maltese embassy in Japan by the end of the year.

Malta Enterprise delivered a presentation on the Maltese economy and its opportunities for doing business. The Forum was followed by a networking session which facilitated informal exchanges among the participants to foster commercial collaborations.

22 July 2019 Malta-Bangladesh Business Forum The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has collaborated with Trade Malta and the Counsellor’s office at the Bangladesh Embassy in Athens, to organise a Business Forum between Maltese business representatives and a high-level delegation from Bangladesh, headed by Dr A. K. Abdul Momen, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Upon welcoming the delegation, Malta Chamber President, David Xuereb, expressed the Chamber’s desire for Malta of pursuing a journey towards establishing solid commercial relations with Bangladesh. As a result, this

could provide tangible opportunities for respective business communities.

The Business Forum was also addressed by Carmelo Abela, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion in Malta. The economic and business environments of the two countries were presented during the Forum by Trade Malta and the High Commission of Bangladesh for Malta respectively, delving in-depth on the commercial perspectives and several opportunities for business communities.

The Forum was followed by a networking session which facilitated informal exchanges among the participants to foster commercial collaborations.

12 February 2019 Incoming Delegation – Belarus The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry hosted a delegation from Belarus led by Mr Dzmitry Yarashevic – Deputy Minister for Economy and Sergei Nabeshko – Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce, accompanied by senior officials, to explore business opportunities with Malta and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote trade and investment between both countries.

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David Xuereb, President of the Malta Chamber, who was accompanied by Kevin J. Borg – Director General, Lino Mintoff – Head of Projects and Internationalisation, Francois Grech – Deputy Chairperson of Tech.MT and a number of Maltese business representatives, stated that the visit is a first concrete step to nurture reciprocal commercial and economic collaboration given that Belarus trade with the European Union has been growing steadily over the past years.

The event included presentations about the business opportunities in both countries, particularly from a technology investment perspective. H.E. Aleksandr Guryanov – Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the Italian Republic and the Republic of Malta, and Johann Baldacchino Romano – Honorary Consul of the Republic of Belarus to Malta also participated in the event.

The following are other activities organised by the Internationalisation Desk in 2019: • 26 March 2019

Incoming visit of Sudanese companies led by Honorary Consul of Malta in Sudan • 5 June 2019 Incoming delegation from Israel-Malta Chamber of Commerce • 14 June 2019 EIC Roadshow Event: Presentation on Innovation Management Support • 13 November 2019 1st European-Arab Businesswomen Forum The following are other events/activities organised by third parties in which the Malta Chamber participated in/collaborated in the organisation of such during 2019: • 24 January 2019 State Visit with H.E. President of Malta to Istanbul, Turkey COOPERATION AGREEMENTS SIGNED The Malta Chamber continuously cooperates with its counterparts and business organisations in other countries with the aim to strengthen its relations with them, collaborate in bilateral events and delegations, as well as keep its members up-to-date on internationalisation opportunities received by the respective Chambers and organisations. A Cooperation Agreement is usually signed with other Chambers and organisations to formalise this collaboration. In 2019, the Malta Chamber had the opportunity to sign the following cooperation agreement: • 12 February 2019 Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, signed in Valletta.

BUSINESS COUNCILS These are horizontal committees within the Malta Chamber that focus on promoting business exchanges between Malta and specific countries or regions. The concept was developed as an internal policy by the Internationalisation Committee as a way of creating entities within the Chamber, for the Secretariat to ensure greater coordination, control, continuity and integrity. To this end, the Internationalisation Desk has worked towards developing a strategic policy to outline their establishment whilst ensuring a proper system of internal regulation and administrative support. These business councils have proven successful in activating members and even generating new membership, and they have become catalysts for the creation of events and activities which benefit the participating members as well as the Maltese business community in general. This is done through a systematic framework that achieves the targets set, approved by the Chamber’s Board of Management, and prescribed for the economic relations with these countries.

Business Councils: Highlights 18 November 2019 German-Maltese Business Council welcomes delegation from German Vocational School A delegation from a German vocational school in Hof/Northern Bavaria visited Malta between 16th and 23rd November as part of a European-wide programme: ERASMUS+, which financially supports international exchanges of teachers and students of vocational schools.

The delegation, made up of eight persons from the school’s leadership team, met with representatives of the Malta Chamber and the German-Maltese Business Council. The meeting discussed German-Maltese commercial relations and trade ties, as well as possibilities of organising internships for German students in Malta.

Meetings with Stakeholders and the Diplomatic Corps One of the declared objectives of the Desk is to work closely with stakeholders, especially Trade Malta, Malta Enterprise, Finance Malta, Ministries and the diplomatic corps in Malta as well as that of Malta abroad.

The Internationalisation Desk is also represented at the Joint Stakeholders Working Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

by Lino Mintoff, Head of the Projects and Internationalisation Desk of the Malta Chamber.

Monthly meetings are held where stakeholders discuss market strategies, outgoing and incoming delegations, as well as events.

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RELATIONS WITH DIPLOMATIC CORPS Date Country

7 February 2019 San Marino

Ambassador/ Honorary Consul Meeting with Candidate for Honorary Consul in San Marino, Maurizio De Biagi

19 February 2019 Tunisia

Meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia, H.E. Zyed Bouzouita

1 March 2019 Pakistan

Meeting with High Commissioner of Pakistan H.E. Muhammad Hassan

5 March 2019 Spain

Meeting with Candidate for Honorary Consul in Barcelona, Juan Alonso Dregi

21 March 2019 Canada

Meeting with Consulate General for Malta in Canada, Dr Raymond Xerri

17 April 2019 Pakistan

Meeting with Mr Syed Ul Hassan Bokhari, Candidate for Honorary Consul, Islamabad, Pakistan

2 May 2019 Greece

Meeting with Ambassador of Greece H.E. Dimitrios G. Tsoungas

18 May 2019 Switzerland

Meeting with Vincent de Vilmorin, candidate for Honorary Consul Zurich, Switzerland.

24 May 2019 Vietnam

Meeting with Ambassador of Vietnam H.E. Nguyen Thi Bich Hue

30 May 2019 Nepal

Meeting with Dinesh Stretha, Consul for Malta in Nepal

11 June 2019 Bangladesh

Meeting with Counsellor Mohammed Khaled, Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

18 June 2019 Switzerland

Meeting with Honorary Consul in Zurich

20 June 2019 Czech Republic

Meeting with Jiri Jilek, Head of Economic Section within the Consulate of the Czech Republic

Date Country

27 June 2019 Bangladesh

Ambassador/ Honorary Consul Meeting with Hon. Consul for Bangladesh, Dr Marcello Basile Cherubino

5 July 2019 Malta

Meeting with Hon Consul and Deputy Head of Mission, (Malta Embassy) Jennifer Orlando Skaerbaek

24 July 2019 Egypt

Meeting with Second Secretary, Embassy of Egypt in Malta Abram Wagdy

30 July 2019 Denmark

Meeting with Christina Charlotte Juel, candidate for Honorary Consul in Copenhagen, Denmark

3 September 2019 U.S.A.

Meeting with Dr Arthur J. Furia, Prospective Honorary Consul in Miami, U.S.A.

19 September 2019 Finland

Meeting with H.E. Ambassador Rantala-Enberg and the Finnish Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Jari Gustafsson

20 September 2019 Bahrain

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain, H.E. Ebrahim Mahmood Ahmed Abdulla

25 September 2019 Puerto Rico

Meeting with Dr Santaliz-Ruiz, Prospective Honorary Consul of Malta in Puerto Rico

27 September 2019 China

Meeting with Yu Yuantang, Deputy Director General of European Affairs within the Ministry of Commerce in China

11 October 2019 USA

Meeting with Founder and President, CFCO International, Tony R. Culley- Foster

17 October 2019 Canada

Meeting with the Canadian Minister Counsellor (Commercial) Edith St-Hilaire

29 October 2019 Kuwait

Meeting with Mohammad Alnuaimi, Deputy Ambassador and Counsellor

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Date Country

19 November 2019 Belgium

Ambassador/ Honorary Consul Meeting with Sophie Massagé, Head of Post, Embassy of Belgium – Economic and Commercial Representation of Flanders, Brussels Capital-Region and Vallonia

22 November 2019 Slovenia

Meeting with H.E. Tomaž Kunstelj, Ambassador Designate of Slovenia

26 November 2019 Ethiopia

Meeting with Dawit Gebre-ab, Candidate for Honorary Consul for Djibouti

2 December 2019 Belarus

Official Visit of First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus and signing of MOU with Belarusian Chamber of Commerce

ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK (EEN)

The Enterprise Europe Network is the world’s largest support network for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) with international ambitions. It has 3,000 experts across 600 member organisations in more than 60 countries. Member organisations include chambers of commerce and industry, technology centres, and research institutes.

In 2015, the Malta Chamber entered into a consortium with Malta Enterprise, Malta Business Bureau and Malta Council for Science and Technology to manage the local Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).

As the Maltese consortium closed the programming period of the project covering 2019, impacts and outcomes registered with the European Commission show that the Malta Chamber was instrumental for a number of business agreements reached by Maltese entrepreneurs with foreign business partners through the services rendered. During 2019, The Malta Chamber co-organised various brokerage events and/or company missions through the Enterprise Europe Network.

Through these events, over 96 companies had

more than 500 pre-scheduled business-tobusiness meetings with potential partners.

The Malta Chamber was also well positioned to address dozens of general queries and provide advisory services through individual client support, in particular towards tapping EU funding, innovative business practices and accessing international procurement.

Moreover, the Malta Chamber was also responsible for the communication role of the Maltese consortium, launching a portal (www2. enterprise-europemalta.com/our-services) which today serves as the gateway for Maltese ambitious businesses to grow internationally.

Kevin Mizzi, the Communications Coordinator of the Maltese consortium, represented Malta during a meeting of the Communications Champions in Brussels in February. Finally, the Malta Chamber ensured that the Enterprise Europe Network has a constant digital presence through constant updates and sharing of information on its online platforms, keeping present and future clients abreast with numerous activities, business news and commercial profiles.

Currently, the Malta Chamber’s Internationalisation Department started working on the activities planned during the next programming period of the project covering 2020- 2021. The services are earmarked to be focused on supporting the smart growth of Maltese SMEs by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of investments in research, development and innovation, and to contribute to a better and more efficient connection of stakeholders and players along the innovation chain.

It is envisaged that the growth-oriented business support services, with the help of the Malta Chamber within the Network Consortium, will result in improved competitiveness and access to markets for Malta-based enterprises.

EEN Sector Group – Retail The Malta Chamber, as part of the Enterprise Europe Network, actively participated in two Retail Sector Group meetings that were held in Malta and Brussels on 23-24th May 2019 and 30th September 2019 respectively. The Sector Group is a delegation of business experts from various countries that come together to offer tailored support for services and retail companies with the aim to help them innovate and grow internationally.

The two-day meetings discussed the work plan and strategic initiatives that are being

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organised in Malta and on a pan-European level to maximise partnering opportunities for selected companies. As evidenced in its mission statement, the EEN Sector Group – Retail aims at helping local SMEs that sell to other businesses or consumers from a physical or online outlet to develop their presence overseas – be it via e-commerce, distributors or franchise. As the way of retailing products and services changes around the world, the Sector Group also helps these SMEs establish a sustainable supply chain, partner with the right expertise and utilise the right technology.

Through joint activities, the Sector Groups support creative companies to find partners for joint projects, exploring new markets as well as sharing knowledge, ideas, innovation and inspiration.

Moreover, Lino Mintoff, as Chairman of the EEN Retail Sector Group coordinated the Sector Group’s internal meetings and activities during the past year, including the coordination of the Group at EU level during additional meetings of the Chairpersons of all Sector Groups which were held between 27th and 29th May in Nuremberg.

Brokerage Events 27-29 March 2019 Oil and Gas Offshore Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition A number of Maltese businesses participated in the oil and gas matchmaking event that was held within the Offshore Mediterranean Conference & Exhibition (OMC) between the 27th-29th March 2019 in Ravenna, Italy. This biennial event presented Maltese companies with an ideal arena for discussion on research and development, technology achievements and future challenges in the energy sector.

The bilateral meetings offer to exhibitors and visitors a unique opportunity to find business or technological partners within the oil and gas and related sectors. The matchmaking event was organised by Enterprise Europe Network partner SIMPLER Consortium in collaboration with the Eurosportello-Chamber of Commerce of Ravenna. The oil and gas matchmaking event included a dedicated space within the fair where one-to-one meetings took place over the course of two days. The Maltese entrepreneurs held pre-scheduled B2B meetings with the entrepreneurs from the participating countries.

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23 March 2019 Brokerage Event during AI Blockchain Summit The brokerage event organised by the Malta Chamber, as part of Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) in Malta, welcomed 80 international business participants from 15 countries with over 160 B2B meetings. An online platform was created to foster new international business partnerships and collaborations. The initiative was aimed at nurturing international networking ties for ambitious Malta-based companies by identifying new business partners and sourcing new technologies.

In this context, the event provided testament to the fact that, following its 171-year-long leadership history, the Chamber maintains its forwardlooking outlook and remains at the forefront of innovative and disruptive technologies intended to develop new areas of enterprise support for the Maltese business community.

19-21 September 2019 EU Pavillion at the Food India, SIAL 2019 The second edition of SIAL India was hosted for three days (19-21st September 2019) in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, witnessing over 300 meticulously selected exhibitors from 30 countries with approximately 8,000+ trade visitors.

Being part of Enterprise Europe Network, the Malta Chamber was a co-organiser of the networking and business platform, featuring a participant from the local food manufacturing industry who was supported in developing a company profile and identifying industry players which best matched partners sought.

All types of products displayed in the EU Pavillion, produced in the European Union, were divided into five categories, being products bearing the EU organic logo, products carrying EU quality labels, innovative products, organic products and eco-friendly packaging.

The EU Pavilion at SIAL was organised as a part of the project ‘Business Support for the EU – India Policy Dialogues’ whose implementation partner in India and direct point of contact is the European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC).

23-31 October 2019 IoT Solutions World Congress – Digitalising Industries The support of the Malta Chamber in this Congress provided a unique opportunity to a local investor to meet potential companies in three digital transformation technologies

that are revolutionising businesses: IoT, AI and Blockchain.

By participating in 10 pre-scheduled B2B meetings, thanks to the help of the Malta Chamber, the Maltese entrepreneur had the opportunity to build new cross-border international business and technology partnerships.

The fifth edition of the brokerage event took place between 29th and 31st October 2019, as a side event to the IoT Solutions World Congress 2019 held in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona).

The IOTSWC is the largest IoT event in the world to get inspired by new ideas, solutions and people. This is a unique annual event dedicated exclusively to match IoT providers with industry in order to help the latter increase productivity via this disruptive technology. The IoT Solutions World Congress brings together the best minds in the industry to discuss these hot topics, illustrating how solutions are impacting today’s and tomorrow’s industries.

14 November 2019 MEDICA 2019 MEDICA 2019 International Matchmaking event was organised by Enterprise Europe Network partner ZENIT GmbH in Dusseldorf, Germany, in collaboration with the Healthcare and BioChemTech Sector Groups. The aim of this event was to assist enterprises, universities and research institutions in finding partners in Europe for product development, manufacturing and licensing agreements, joint ventures or other types of partnership.

This international Healthcare Matchmaking event at MEDICA fair has been taking place for 20 years. In recent years the brokerage event has attracted 350 participants from over 40 countries with an average of 700 prescheduled meetings per year.

Company Missions 8 April 2019 Singapore-Malta Business Forum and B2B During the first week of April, the Malta Chamber in collaboration with Trade Malta and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation organised the Singapore-Malta Business Forum.

A delegation made up of 19 Maltese companies and institutional organisations travelled to Singapore to participate in the forum, which was followed by a brokerage event which provided a platform for the exploration of

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commercial opportunities in FinTech, financial services, virtual currencies, blockchain technologies, cyber security and digital gaming and services between the two countries. The B2B session, which was supported by the EEN, registered over 200 bilateral meetings between the private sector representatives from both countries.

9 July 2019 Incoming Company Mission led by the ‘Camera di Commercio di Chieti’ On 9th July, the Malta Chamber hosted a meeting with Agenzia di Sviluppo, an Italian Enterprise Europe Network partner, to discuss commercial avenues for Maltese local fashion designers and Italian textile manufacturers.

Agenzia di Sviluppo, which is a Special Agency of the Chamber of Commerce Chieti Pescara, was presented with detailed industry mapping in Malta to understand the needs of local entrepreneurs, with the aim of identifying relevant opportunities for them in Italy.

Such opportunities are currently being developed to establish the most appropriate collaborative platform which would attract mutual interest for both country clusters within the fashion sector.

INTERNATIONAL SCENE BUSINESSEUROPE

Council of Presidents’ Meeting, Helsinki, Finland, 13 – 14 June 2019 The Spring BusinessEurope Council of Presidents for 2019 was held in Helsinki between 13th and 14th June. The meeting was hosted by the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) at the Helsinki City Hall.

On 13th June, the Heads of Delegation had an exchange of views with the President of Finland, Sauli Väinämö Niinistö. The Finnish Minister for Development and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari addressed all delegates during a dinner event on 13th June. The Council meeting held on the following day opened with an exchange of views with the Prime Minister of Finland, Antti Juhani Rinne. Mr Rinne outlined the priorities of the Finnish Presidency of the European Union, which was to commence in two weeks.

The remainder of agenda for the Council meeting was characterised by intense and profound discussion on a number of prevailing

issues in the European Union as summarised below.

1 Political and Economic Outlook in Member States A novel practice which commenced at this COPRES meeting was for each federation to provide a short written update on the economic and political situation in their respective country. This written feedback served for better time management during the council meeting. On this occasion the heads of delegation of Austria, Germany and Sweden were invited to give perspectives on their national developments on a far-reaching law to speed up permits for infrastructure projects and industrial sites, and how the split in political landscape is affecting the interaction between stakeholders and Government.

2 Skill Shortages in Europe A significant update was given by the German delegation about a new skilled labour immigration law passed by the German government in December 2018 to support the attraction of skilled workers from outside the EU in an attempt to remedy a chronic skills shortage. The law was passed as a result of strong representations by German business associations to ease immigration legislation,

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arguing that parts of the economy are being stifled by a lack of workers and that the longterm effects could be irreversibly damaging.

As a result of this law, existing asylum seekers who have found work but face deportation because their claims have failed can stay in their jobs.

3 Priorities for the Next EU Institutional Cycle COPRES discussed the potential contents of a communication that BusinessEurope is proposing to send to the EU Commission President designate. The message is intended to outline the key priorities which are deemed longstanding and rolling ones from one EU mandate to the next; namely: BE has worked on a series of policy papers that go into further depth on the respective issues and agreement was reached at the COPRES to roll these out systematically over a period of time.

4 Recent Developments in EU-China Relations The COPRES discussed the approach the EU should take towards China in the light of its state interventionist model and its impact on international competition rules, as well as in the context of the on-going talks on a comprehensive agreement on investment which have been progressing slowly.

Reference may be made to the innovative approaches recently adopted by the EU to protect its industry from unfair competition through a new methodology to calculate dumping of products into the EU market, targeting China in particular, for its state interference in exporting companies. The EU is seeking to protect its interests through a new regulation for the screening of Foreign Direct Investments. Member states will be required to cooperate and exchange information on foreign investments of certain magnitude.

5 Priorities for the Next EU Institutional Cycle A general discussion took place on the three main priorities that BusinessEurope will outline in a letter it will send to the new President of the European Commission, including an ambitious trade agenda, deeper single market, and a renewed industrial strategy. The letter will be supported by a document outlining in more detail various EU topics that will be in the centre of debate in the upcoming months, including the fitness check on stateaid rules. There were a number of requests by national federations to include new message or to clarify others, such as an insert making reference to the fact that follow-up green

investments should also be exempted from state-aid rules, not only first investments.

6 Brexit The CBI Director General, Carolyn Fairbairn, gave an update on the latest developments concerning Brexit, the failure of the cross-party negotiations to support the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, Theresa May’s subsequent resignation from head of the Conservative Party and the prevailing leadership contest taking place that will result in a new UK Prime Minister by end July.

In light of Boris Johnson’s widely expected victory, Ms Fairbairn asked national members to speak to their respective governments to be open, constructive and give the new Prime Minister a chance to break the deadlock. To this, various members claimed that while EU member states should always look to give space for the UK to find solutions to the current deadlock internally, they remain for square behind the EU that the withdrawal agreement is non-negotiable. In reply to a question by the President of the Dutch business federation on whether a new BusinessEurope letter pleading to the British public to come back into the European fold, Ms Fairbairn politely rejected, as in the circumstances, where there is no referendum taking place, this would go against the legitimate democratic decision taken in 2016.

Council of Presidents’ Meeting, Zagreb, Croatia, 6 December 2019 The second BusinessEurope Council of Presidents meeting for 2019 was held in Zagreb on 6th December. The meeting was hosted by the Croatian Union of Employers (HUC).

1. Update from the CEO, Markus Beyrer Mr Beyrer referred to the most recent communication initiatives, particularly the Prosperity People Planet document which outlines BusinessEurope’s priorities for the new EU mandate. He also spoke about the interaction with European Commissioners so far and expressed a positive opinion about incoming President Ursula Von der Leyen.

However, Mr Beyrer showed concern that the European Commission’s political priorities are strong on a green and social agenda, but not as detailed on how Europe will be able to contribute for such ambitious commitments as a result of wealth creation through economic initiatives on an equal footing. Nevertheless, Mr Beyrer is confident that the economy portfolio will be well represented by Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, whom BE considers an

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ally and knows well from the last mandate, who should be strong in counterbalancing the environment portfolio fronted by VicePresident Frans Timmermans, and the competition/consumer portfolio fronted by Vice-President Margrethe Verstager.

Mr Beyrer noted that the new College of Commissioners was elected with 461 votes, which gives it a strong mandate. This represented the backing of the three major centrist parties – the European People’s Party (EPP), Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Renew Europe (Liberals) – who were united.

However, this unity is less expected throughout the rest of the mandate, with apparent divisions in priorities and expectations in several policy areas. One ought to also be careful of such divisions from penetrating the Commission College and avoid split according to political family.

As for points of information, it was mentioned that the Commission’s flagship initiative of a European Green Deal is expected in the form of a Communication and a detailed roadmap in December, which will be followed by legislative proposals as from 2020. On social issues, one can expect the flagship initiative on minimum wages in the first 100 days. BusinessEurope was invited to convey its views on the subject matter to the Employment, Social and Consumer Council (EPSCO), being held in mid-

December. Also, a new Industrial Strategy is expected to be published around springtime of 2020.

Finally, it was announced that the date for the next BusinessEurope Day has been fixed for 5th March. A dinner will take place on 4th March.

2. National Developments As from last Copres, all members included a short update on national political and economic developments in writing. A document was compiled and forwarded in advance accordingly. Some members were invited to update the group on specific issues taking place nationally. On this occasion, Medef (France) and Tusiad (Turkey) took the floor.

France – An update was provided on the pension reform in France which has led to massive strikes. While France is experiencing healthy economic growth and steady reduction of unemployment, which is the at the lowest point for many years, Macron’s government embarked on a sensitive pensions reform that has created unrest. This has to do with the fact that France has different pension schemes for different sectors, which makes some more favourable than others. The government intends to integrate all into a single system, which means that certain benefits for some will be lost, such as the possibility of early

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retirement. The demonstrations were very strong with almost one million people calculated to have taken to the streets.

Turkey – An update was provided on security and migration issues, which are topping the national agenda. These range from defence matters related to Turkey’s purchase of Russian military aircraft, which has been heavily criticised by the United States and Nato allies, to the regional conflict and Turkish military operation in northern Syria, to Turkey’s oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, which is sanctioned by the EU for intervening in the economic zone of Cyprus. It was noted that while all these recent events are separating Turkey and the EU further, this is a disengagement policy which has been ongoing for 10 years. Tusiad asked whether sanctions are the right tool under these circumstances, and if this extreme measure will lead to a point of no return. It argues that the new European Commission presents an opportunity to think of a new strategy, starting with the modernising of the customs union as it does not reflect the challenges of today.

Tusiad would like to see proactive measures that bring Turkey closer to Europe, however it argues that an offer to recommence customs union modernisation negotiations should not be considered as a gift to Turkey. Negotiations should restart without preconditions, and implementation could take place if Turkey then meets geo-political and socio-economicenvironmental criteria.

3. Reports from Roundtable Sessions held the Previous Day Roundtable 1: How does my company contribute to society and make this visible to the community? Rapporteur Hans de Boer, President VNO-NCW (The Netherlands) Presidents appreciated the opportunity to discuss in smaller groups and share best practices. There was a consensus that parliaments do not always have an understanding on the economic life of companies. Political programmes and partnerships are required to represent what business means to society in general.

Reference was made to a best practice in Norway, whereby employers and unions developed a programme for young politicians to communicate economics and labour market issues as viewed from a social dialogue perspective. It was suggested that this model should be studied to be replicated in other countries.

Roundtable 2: What is the direct effect of developments in geopolitics and trade policy on my company? Rapporteur Miroslav

Kiral’varga, President RUZ (Slovakia) Presidents noted how unilateralism is disrupting international trade. The EU’s main trading partners, the United States and China, are very challenging to deal with and thus Europe needs to rethink the way it manages its relationship with these partners.

China is not just an economic power but also a technological power, and therefore needs to take responsibility as it is no longer a developing country. China also needs to change its anti-dumping, procurement and competition practices. The EU also needs to find ways to cooperate with the US, particularly on addressing China issues, but also how to deal with the extraterritoriality of US sanctions.

Furthermore, the EU needs to engage more in Africa and present an alternative economic model to the one currently offered by China.

The European Green Deal will require great efforts by European businesses, but it was stressed that third countries need to also share the burdens imposed by climate change.

For this reason, the Carbon Adjustment Tax is important to protect European competitiveness.

Reference was also made to the WTO and its Appellate Body. Copres was invited to endorse a statement to preserve this body which will become redundant as from 12th December.

4. China China’s share in global economy is 16 per cent. China is not moving towards a market economy but backwards, with more state intervention. The message is clear. We need to level the playing field. The EU needs to continue engaging bilaterally with China, to take action to strengthen its competitiveness versus China, and to work with third parties such as the US. An exchange of views took place on the contents of the detailed position paper recently finalised by BusinessEurope on China, which was broadly welcomed.

5. Brexit An update was provided on the changes in EU-UK withdrawal agreement and implications on the transition period that expires at the end of 2020, with less than one year to negotiate a future agreement.

CBI provided an analysis of the UK campaign so far. Polls are showing that the Conservative Party has a 10 per cent lead, however this was also the case in 2017 and ultimately the UK election resulted in a hung parliament. While polls can fluctuate, some things are consistent.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s message seems to be getting through, while the Labour Party’s

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tactic of making the election about national policy is not working. The Liberal Democratic Party is the only one canvassing for a revocation of Brexit, but their polls have not increased. So, while it does look like there will be a Conservative majority, it could also result in a hung Parliament, which would prolong the uncertainties.

The meeting concluded at 13:00 and the next Council of Presidents will take place on 4th-5th June 2020 in Berlin, Germany.

EUROCHAMBRES Economic Survey 2019-2020 For the 20th consecutive year, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry participated in the annual panEuropean benchmarking exercise organised

by EUROCHAMBRES – the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The Malta Chamber’s participation in this initiative is of great significance for the local business community. The two-minute survey enables us to gauge our members’ economic performance with that of companies

throughout the rest of Europe. This is possible by means of a harmonised system of running this survey, the design of the questionnaire and its distribution, as well as the collating and interpretation of information received.

The survey was carried out throughout September 2019 and achieved the highest response rate in recent years. The biggest challenge for economic development for members in 2020 is expected to be the lack of skilled workers, while a majority of respondents expected increases in both national and export sales in 2019, as well as increased levels of investment.

Across Europe, nearly 53,000 businesses in 28 countries also highlighted notable concerns on skills shortages. Other key findings on a European level include: • European businesses expect domestic demand, followed by labour shortages and increased labour costs as their top challenges for 2020.

• A drop in the growth rate of export sales is forecasted following the 2017-2018 period.

• Investment and employment figures indicate a weaker growth after a 2013-2018 recovery.

• The ‘Impact of Brexit’ rises to the 6th position, which is perceived as a challenge particularly in Germany, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus.

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES BUSINESS SECTIONS ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS Mr Conrad Pace Mr Simon Alden Mr Joseph Bugeja – Chairperson Mr Joseph Gingell – Deputy Chairperson FINANCIAL SERVICES Ms Angela Tabone Mr Malcolm Mifsud Mr William Spiteri Bailey – Chairperson Mr Kenneth Farrugia – Deputy Chairperson Mr Jean Paul Fabri FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROCESSORS Mr Alex Meilak – Chairperson Mr Stephen Bonnici – Deputy Chairperson Mr Benjamin Brincat Mr Joseph Pace Mr John Sammut HEALTHCARE Mr Robert Magri – Chairperson Ms Vanessa Said Salomone Ms Gulia Attard-Montalto – Deputy Chairperson Mr Marcel K. Mifsud Mr David Stellini Mr Paul Apap Bologna (co-opted) Ms Joanna Gatt (co-opted) INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY Mr Francois Grech – Chairperson Mr Joseph Sultana Mr Marcel Cutajar Mr Joseph Roland Scerri Mr John Wood Mr Gordon Micallef (co-opted) – Deputy Chairperson LOGISTICS Mr Robert Aquilina – Chairperson Mr David Fleri Soler – Deputy Chairperson Mr Pierre Attard Mr Shawn Falzon Mr George Amato PLASTICS AND RUBBER MANUFACTURERS Mr Kenneth Micallef Mr Robert Borg Mr Kenneth Caruana

Ms Doreen Cutrona Mr Olaf Zahra Mr Mark Borg (co-opted) – Deputy Chairperson Mr Ivan Gerada (co-opted) Mr Arthur Mallia (co-opted) Mr Luke Satariano (co-opted) – Chairperson PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY LEAD PHARMACISTS Mr Reginald Fava – Chairperson Ms Marisa Dalli – Deputy Chairperson Prof. Lilian Azzopardi Ms Eliza Vella Ms Pierina Zammit SHIPPING AND BUNKERING Mr Peter Sullivan – Chairperson Mr Matthew E. Sullivan – Vice Chairman Dr Stefan Piazza Mr Stephen Parnis-England Mr Karl Sullivan TOURISM BUSINESS SECTION Ms Genevieve Abela Mr Alan Arrigo – Deputy Chairperson Mr Jean Karl Farrugia Mr Ian Fitzpatrick – Chairperson Mr Ivan Mifsud Mr Iain Tonna Mr Joseph Attard (co-opted) Mr Louis Olivieri (co-opted) WINES, SPIRITS, BEVERAGES AND TOBACCO Mr Pierre Stafrace – Chairperson Mr Alexander Arrigo Mr Michael Darmanin – Deputy Chairperson Mr Tarcisio Piscopo Mr Stephen Rausi YACHTING SERVICES Dr Alison Vassallo – Chairperson Mr Niki Travers Tauss – Deputy Chairperson Mr Peter Fiorini Lowell Dr Cornelia Zammit German Mr Anthony Galea Mr Matthew Gusman Mr Kurt Gutteridge

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POLICY COMMITTEES AND BUSINESS COUNCILS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Mr Adrian Mallia – Chairperson Ing. Charles Cuschieri Ms Abigail Cutajar Ms Mary Gaerty Mr Konrad Pule’ Ing. Adrian Vigar Mr Andre Fenech FAMILY BUSINESS COMMITTEE Mr Andrew W.J. Mamo – Chairperson Mr Hugh Arrigo Mr Sam Borg Mr Etienne Borg-Cardona Dr Joe Gerada Ms Maria Micallef Mr Marcel K. Mifsud Mr Ian Mizzi Mr Andre Fenech HUMAN RESOURCES Ms Catherine Calleja – Chairperson Mr Stephen Bonnici Dr Matthew Brincat Ms Antoinette Caruana Mr Ray Debattista Mr Jonathan Ferrito Ms Alexia Frendo Ms Ruth Farrugia Mr Michel Ganado Ms Monica Incorvaja Mr Ivan Refalo Ms Fabienne Ruggier MARKETING Mr Louis Olivieri – Chairperson Ms Anika Gatt Mr Chris Vassallo Cesareo Mr Edward Bonello

CHAMBER A D M I N I S T R AT I V E COMMITTEES STATUTE REVISION COMMISSION Mr David G. Curmi – Chairperson Mr Hugh Arrigo Mr Matthias Fauser Mr Reginald Fava Mr Stefano Mallia Mr Andrew W.J. Mamo Mr Kevin J. Borg Ms Johanna Calleja

BUSINESS COUNCIL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES GERMAN-MALTESE BUSINESS COUNCIL Mr Armin Eckermann – Chairperson

M A LTA C H A M B E R COMMISSIONS SET UP

BY S TAT U T E COMMERCIAL AGENTS COMMISSION (STATUTE ART 11.1) Mr Charles A. Zahra – Chairperson Mr Anthony T. Camilleri Mr Josie Ellul Mercer Mr Frank V. Farrugia ELECTORAL COMMISSION (STATUTE ART 6.1) Mr Louis Apap Bologna Mr Charles Borg Mr Victor Camilleri Mr Michael Cutugno Mr Josie Ellul-Mercer CONFLICTS RESOLUTION PANEL (STATUTE ART 10.1) Mr Joseph Bugeja (Chairman) Mr Victor A. Galea Mr Anton Borg Mr Joseph Pace Mr Michael Scerri ETHICS AND DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION (STATUTE ART 8.2) Mr David G. Curmi – Chairperson Mr Martin Galea Dr Hugh Peralta Mr Joseph F.X. Zahra

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N O M I N E E S O N B OA R D S A N D C O M M I T T E E S 2019-2021 BICC – PROPERTY MARKET WORKING GROUP Mr Ian Casolani BICC – REGENERATION OF PROPERTY WORKING GROUP Ms Victoria Farrugia-Galea BICC – EDUCATION AND TRAINING WORKING GROUP Mr Patrick Spiteri Staines BICC - BUILDING REGULATIONS AND EU DIRECTIVES WORKING GROUP Mr Adrian Mallia BICC – RESEARCH AND INNOVATION WORKING GROUP Mr Chris Busuttil BUILDING INDUSTRY CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL (BICC) Mr David Xuereb Mr Anthony Tabone CLOUD WORKING COMMITTEE Mr Francois Grech CONSERVATORIO VINCENZO BUGEJA COMMITTEE Mr Andrew W.J. Mamo Mr David Xuereb Mr Ian Casolani

TECH MALTA Mr Francois Grech Mr Roland Scerri Mr Marcel Cutajar Mr Gordon Micallef INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNALS Mr Reginald Fava Ms Mary Gaerty JOBS PLUS BOARD Mr Andrew W.J. Mamo JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT YOUNG ENTERPRISE Mr Chris Vassallo Cesareo LOW WAGE COMMISSION Mr Patrick Cachia MALTA ARBITRATION CENTRE Dr Matthew Brincat MALTA BUSINESS FOUNDATION Mr Sergio Vella Mr John Huber Mr Brian Muscat Mr Anthony Tabone MALTA COMPETITION AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS AUTHORITY (MCCAA) Mr Reginald Fava

eBUSINESS AWARDS COMMITTEE Mr Marcel Cutajar

MALTA COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (MCESD) Mr David Xuereb Mr Kevin J. Borg Ms Marisa Xuereb (alternate) Mr Andre Fenech (alternate)

EDUCATION MALTA Ms Marisa Xuereb Mr Kevin J. Borg

MATERNITY LEAVE FUND ADMINISTRATION BOARD Mr Andre Fenech

EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS BOARD AND GUARANTEE FUND ADMINISTRATION BOARD Mr Andrew W.J. Mamo Dr Matthew Brincat

eSKILLS BOARD OF GOVERNORS Mr Marcel Cutajar

MALTA COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (MCST) EVALUATION COMMITTEE Dr David Grech

EuCI EUROPEAN CERTIFICATE INSTITUTE LTD – IMPARTIALITY COMMITTEE Mr Anthony Tabone

MALTA CRUISE LINER NETWORK Mr Ivan Mifsud

DIGITAL MALTA GOVERNMENT BODY Mr Francois Grech

MALTA COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (MCST) STEERING COMMITTEE Dr David Grech

MALTA ENTERPRISE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr David Xuereb Ms Marisa Xuereb

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MALTA ENTERPRISE BOARD TO PROMOTE LOCAL PRODUCTS Mr Joseph Pace MALTA INDUSTRIAL PARKS Mr Ruben Cuschieri MALTA TRADE FAIRS CORPORATION Mr Gino Cutajar Mr Aldo Calleja Mr Charles A. Zahra Mr Chris Vassallo Cesareo MALTA-EU STEERING ACTION COMMITTEE (MEUSAC) Mr Gordon Scicluna Mr Andre Fenech MCAST BOARD OF GOVERNORS Ms Marisa Xuereb MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS – JOINT STAKEHOLDERS WORKING COUNCIL Mr Lino Mintoff MONITORING COMMITTEE FOR OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME I & II COHESION POLICY 2014-2020 Mr Joe Tanti MONITORING COMMITTEE FOR THE STRUCTURAL FUNDS Mr Joe Tanti

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD (MALTA) Ing. Noel Micallef NATIONAL AI STRATEGY WORKING GROUP Mr Francois Grech NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AUTHORITY Mr Ray Debattista NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY BOARD Mr Kevin J. Borg NATIONAL SKILLS COUNCIL Mr Marcel Cutajar PLANNING AUTHORITY USERS COMMITTEE Mr David Xuereb Mr Ian Casolani Ms Victoria Farrugia Galea RETAIL PRICE INDEX BOARD Mr Andre Fenech RETAIL PRICE INDEX CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE Mr Andre Fenech

SWISS-MALTESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Mr Reginald Fava TRADE MALTA Mr Hugh Arrigo Ms Liz Barbaro Sant Mr Joseph Pace

BUSINESSEUROPE – THE CONFEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BUSINESS Mr David Xuereb BUSINESSEUROPE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SME’S COMMITTEE Mr Lino Mintoff BUSINESSEUROPE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mr Kevin J Borg EUROCHAMBRES BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr David Xuereb

E M P LOY E R S ’ N O M I N E E S O N B OA R D S A N D C O M M I T T E E S O F THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY ( R E P R E S E N T I N G A L L M A LTA’ S E M P LOY E R S )

EUROFOUND GOVERNING BOARD Mr Joseph Farrugia EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING (CEDEFOP) Mr Joseph Farrugia EUROPEAN COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON FREE MOVEMENT OF WORKERS Mr Joseph Farrugia EUROPEAN COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SAFETY AND HEALTH PROTECTION AT WORK Mr Joseph Farrugia EUROPEAN COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS Mr Joseph Farrugia EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE Mr Stefano Mallia

MALTA DEVELOPMENT BANK Mr Paul Abela MALTA STATISTICS AUTHORITY Dr Emanuel P. Delia

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A D M I N I S T R AT I O N CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN As at 19th December, the Malta Chamber had issued 2,291 certificates of origin. The processing of certificates of origin is carried out according to a procedure recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce and the Association of European Chambers of Commerce (Eurochambres). In December 2019, Malta Chamber staff received training in the processing of electronic certificates of origin which is expected to be introduced early in 2020.

ATA CARNETS An ATA Carnet is required when a consignment is leaving Malta on a temporary basis. It enables the goods to enter the country of destination with reduced formalities for eventual return to Malta. The client is required to issue a bank guarantee or pay the Chamber a deposit for a percentage of the value of the goods. This is refunded once the consignment

returns and the documents, which have been stamped by Customs, are returned to the Malta Chamber. 23 carnets were issued in 2019.

MAINTENANCE The maintenance of the Exchange Buildings is constant and ongoing. This is carried out by the Support Staff with the use of outside contractors as required. The work carried out during 2019 included the painting of the gates and column, the replacement of tiles, repair work in shafts and the replacement of air conditioning units.

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E X A M I N AT I O N S E R V I C E S I E LT S ( I N T E R N AT I O N A L E N G L I S H L A N G U AG E T E S T I N G SYS T E M ) held. These tests, which in Malta are held by British Council Rome under enhanced security and stricter procedures, are the only Secure English Language Tests (SELT) approved by the UK Government for Visa and Immigration purposes.

In today’s world it is becoming increasingly important not only to know the English language but also to demonstrate such knowledge through credible and trusted third party certification such as that provided by the International English Language Testing System – IELTS. Such requirements usually arise at the place of work, in education and in cases of emigration.

Businesses that require client-facing employees to be proficient in the English language are increasingly requiring potential applicants to submit an IELTS test report form as part of the recruitment process. This will confirm their ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Many students travel to Malta to study the English language, practise their skills within the community, and assess their proficiency by attaining an IELTS qualification. Such certification is usually a pre-requisite for students from non-English speaking countries who wish to further their education in English speaking universities and centres of higher education.

Finally, proof of ability to communicate in English is usually demanded from persons who would like to emigrate, attain professional registration or seek employment opportunities in various countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The Malta Chamber was appointed as the only official IELTS testing centre in Malta in 1998 and it has been offering this service ever since. There has been a constant growth in the demand for IELTS testing in Malta in the last few years, and in 2019 IELTS Malta offered 18 test sessions for a total of 970 candidates.

Early in 2015, the UK Government chose the Malta Chamber to be one of the 10 independent centres in Europe where IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills tests can be

Additional information pertaining to the IELTS test can be sourced at www.maltachamber.org.mt/ielts OTHER EXAMINATION SERVICES The Malta Chamber is also an approved examination centre and regularly conducts examinations for: Cambridge; Institute and Faculty of Actuaries; The Open University in the North; The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; University of Dundee; and the Queen Margaret University. In 2019 the Malta Chamber held 46 examinations for these bodies.

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S U R V E YS

The Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN) conducts regular harmonised surveys for different sectors of the economies in the European Union (EU) and in the applicant countries.

The objective of these surveys is to gauge perceptions and expectations of operators in their respective sectors. Internationally, these surveys serve as a lead and timely indicator of actual performance and the data gathered is used to build composite indicators to track cyclical movements, both in specific sectors and also in the economy as a whole. However, they are not meant to substitute official data on the performance of the sector. Emphasis is on short-term performance rather than on structural issues which would require more in-depth study. The programme allows for comparisons among different countries’ business cycles and has become a recognised tool for monitoring the evolution of the EU and the euro area economies, and applicant countries.

The European Commission does not conduct these surveys directly but does so through partner institutes established in the various surveyed countries and chosen through competitive tender. The tenders are usually for a number of years and the contracts always start in May. The Malta Chamber started conducting the Industry survey in 2002. The Services tender was won for the first time in 2007, the Construction survey in 2008, and the Retail survey in 2011. The Malta Chamber has been conducting these surveys uninterruptedly since the said dates. The last Framework Agreement tender, for a maximum duration of six years, was won in 2015.

From the very beginning of the process, the Malta Chamber had decided to partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers for the provision of bespoke survey software, and this relationship still exists to date.

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ISO:9001 Since December 2010, the Malta Chamber has been certified by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) to be in compliance with the requirements of MSA ISO 9001. Initially the Malta Chamber was certified to comply with MSA ISO 9001:2008, but when this standard was revised in 2015 the Malta Chamber asked for recertification to the revised standard and this took place in December 2016.

Changes introduced in the 2015 revision are intended to ensure that ISO 9001 continues to adapt to the changing environments in which organisations operate. Some of the key updates included the introduction of new terminology, restructuring of some of the information, an emphasis on risk-based thinking to enhance the application of the process approach, improved applicability for services, and increased leadership requirements.

The objective of the Malta Chamber Quality Management System (QMS) is to support, safeguard and promote the interests of members, influence the formation of policy at National and European level and to ensure effective support services. The QMS is designed to provide documented procedures and a control mechanism to assure the quality of its service, provide controls for the prevention of non-conformities, and assure consistent delivery.

The Malta Chamber monitors the effectiveness of its QMS, and its compliance with the requirements of the standard, through regular Internal Audits and Management Review Meetings. On its part the MCCAA holds regular audits, the last one being in January 2020.

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M A LTA B U S I N E S S B U R E A U

EU POLICY AND LOBBYING 2019 was characterised by the European elections taking place in May and the appointment of a new College of Commissioners. This transition comes at a crucially important moment for Europe, because addressing long-term challenges requires policy solutions taken today. These include prioritising the EU’s international leadership in fighting the climate crisis, keeping up with the pace of digitalisation, and strengthening the European social market economy model while taking account of global economic realities.

In view of the European elections and the new EU legislature, the MBB issued its Business Manifesto. The manifesto provides a reflection on the various policy areas of interest to business and the Maltese economy. It also puts forward a series of messages and proposals that MBB believes should guide the work of the Maltese MEPs. The MBB developed this manifesto as part of its efforts to ensure that the interests and aspirations of Maltese enterprises remain safeguarded.

2019 also marked 15 years of Malta’s membership in the European Union. On this occasion, the MBB undertook a comprehensive study of the impact of the European Single Market on Maltese businesses. The report provides tangible evidence showing how much Maltese businesses have benefitted within the Single Market, while pointing out the administrative and legislative burdens they face when operating within it. In addition, the report offers suggestions to decision-makers to alleviate these burdens on businesses and ensure local businesses get the very most of the Single Market.

Things were much quieter than usual on the legislative front, with the European Parliament and Commission’s five year mandate winding down along with the European elections. Most of what the Juncker Commission had proposed had already reached its conclusion in 2018, but some sensitive pieces of legislation are still yet to be finalised, such as the proposal for a directive on collective actions. The collective redress proposal as proposed by the Commission would have had profound anti-business implications on the currently well balanced Maltese framework for collective actions. The MBB’s strategy resulted in the successful lobbying to significantly water down the scope of the collective redress proposal. Further work remains on this, as the Council and the Parliament will now engage in trialogue negotiations in order to attempt to reach an agreement for the proposal to become law.

EUROPEAN PROJECTS

The MBB has continued to work on a number of EU-funded projects which bring together the EU vision and the interests of Maltese businesses.

Through the Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances INCOME and DIFME projects, the MBB has been working extensively to enhance cooperation between higher education

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reduce food waste. This campaign is being held with the additional collaboration of the Malta CSR Institute, Wasteserv, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Ministry for Tourism.

The MBB is always on the lookout for new collaborative opportunities that could benefit the local business community. In collaboration with the HSBC Malta Foundation, the MBB launched INVEST+. This is a local project seeking to improve the levels of financial literacy in Malta through mentoring sessions and workshops on finance, businesses planning, accounting, savings and investment.

The MBB also set up a Business Energy Cluster which aims to support companies’ implementation of energy and water measures through individual consultations identifying company needs, following which the MBB taps its network of energy and water specialists.

institutions and businesses, with the intention of developing innovative approaches to teaching and learning as well as facilitating the exchange and co-creation of knowledge.

A digital literacy toolbox was launched as part of another Erasmus+ project entitled VITA. The VITA Toolbox is a free repository of all the training material adult trainers can use to engage and help adult learners catch up with digital skills. Users are encouraged to exploit the content available in this open toolbox.

The MBB has also been collaborating closely with Malta’s Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) as part of LIFE+ FOSTER project. The main objective behind this project is the creation of a national system that sees a substantial reduction in food waste in restaurants and hotel kitchens.

FOSTER has been very well received; so much so that together with ITS and other strategic national authorities, MBB has decided to extend its efforts through a national awareness-raising campaign for businesses and their employees: Business Against Food Waste Campaign. Together, they are organising a series of food waste reduction training and awareness sessions, providing participants with practical tips and techniques on how to

Last year, the ‘Funding Innovation’ initiative was launched to support and train enterprises to benefit from EU direct funds and programmes. Through this platform, the MBB is providing enterprises with professional training, covering areas of topical interest linked to specific EU funding streams. The first training programme, held in October 2019, focused on the competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs, that is, the EU COSME Funding Programme.

LEADER, an Erasmus+ project, was also initiated in 2019. This project aims to support students in Vocational Education and Training (VET) to develop appropriate soft skills, allowing them to take control of their careers.

LEADER sets out to develop an innovative serious game which will help VET students acquire insight into their qualities and allow them to develop the skills required to occupy a rightful place in the labour market.

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JOHN A. HUBER APPOINTED MBB VICEPRESIDENT In July 2019, John A. Huber was appointed Vice-President of the Malta Business Bureau.

Mr Huber, managing consultant at John Huber & Associates, has previously served as President of the organisation between 20102012. He takes over the role of Vice-President following the resignation of Frank V. Farrugia, who was appointed Chairman of the Malta Broadcasting Authority.

ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK As part of its business matchmaking role within the Enterprise Europe Network, MBB coordinated an outgoing company mission to Cork, Ireland, together with the Cork Chamber of Commerce and the Cork Innovates Partnership. The mission offered six Maltese companies the opportunity to establish business ties with some of Ireland’s most reputable cluster organisations, businesses and innovators. Several bespoke B2B meetings were organised on the basis of the Maltese companies’ requests. The scope was to encourage ambitious Maltese businesses to forge business relations with companies abroad so that they can take that next step and grow their business overseas. Thanks to this company mission, the MBB successfully managed to establish four cross-border partnership agreements between Maltese and Irish companies.

Prior to the company mission, MBB also participated in best practice exchange visits in The Netherlands and Ireland. Such visits do not only serve to share best practices among EEN partners, but also to help them identify synergies and encourage future collaboration that could lead to new opportunities for the Network’s SME clients, as well as improved business support services.

Mr Huber was also nominated by the Malta Chamber to represent it as Director of EUROCHAMBRES, a pan-European organisation of national Chambers of Commerce and Industry, representing collectively millions of small and medium enterprises in Europe.

The MBB Board is composed of Simon De Cesare (President), John A. Huber (VicePresident), Anthony P. Tabone (Director), Brian Muscat (Director), Sergio Vella (Director), Claudienne Harb (Director), and Malcolm Jones (Director).

For more information, visit www.mbb.org.mt or contact MBB on info@mbb.org.mt / +356 2125 1719

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T R A D E M A LTA

During 2019, TradeMalta continued implementing its remit to support Maltabased companies to export their products and services to international markets.

Some of TradeMalta’s main activities during 2019 include: The Go Global training course, which commenced in January with weekly sessions spreading over a 10-week period. This training programme is aimed at companies who are starting their export journey or companies that have just started their internationalisation. The 2019 programme was the fifth edition of this programme and was organised in collaboration with the University of Malta and HSBC Bank Malta, TradeMalta’s corporate partner. 20 delegates were in attendance.

TradeMalta organised several trade missions during the year to help Malta-based companies explore business opportunities in new markets.

In January, TradeMalta accompanied the Prime Minister on a visit to Ahmedabad in India.

This was followed by another trade mission to Singapore and South Korea in April. This delegation was led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion. During 2019, TradeMalta also joined a number of state visits organised by the Office of the President.

Among these were trade visits to Turkey and Israel.

20 companies covering various economic sectors submitted their interest to join the Global Growth exporter programme which helps mature exporters implement an internationalisation business plan by covering a number of expenses over a 12-month period.

In 2019, TradeMalta provided financial assistance to more than 90 companies to exhibit in international fairs. The total expenditure for this support measure exceeded half a million euro.

During the year, TradeMalta implemented further projects in connection with the ERDF project funding, which resulted in the launch of the internationalisation platform which now encompasses a wide range of services offered

by TradeMalta via its own portal.

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TECH.MT

2019 Public-Private Partnership Tech.mt was established in 2019 by the Government of Malta and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, to promote Malta as a tech centre for innovative technologies.

Since the inception of its operations in May 2019, Tech.mt has already achieved local and international recognition by successfully implementing initiatives and events relevant to its mission. One to mention is the eBusiness Awards, where locally developed eBusiness Solutions were recognised. These awards showcase some of the best solutions that have been developed by locally based ICT organisations which, amongst other attributes, combine creativity and information technology with business or social innovation. In doing so, such an event has provided a platform for increased visibility to participants and an excellent means to credit the efforts and unique talents demonstrated by all those involved in the rollout of such innovative business initiatives.

Following the awards night, eight nominees were selected to participate in the prestigious World Summit Awards. In 2016, the eBusiness Awards established an important international affiliation with the World Summit Awards that are organised under the auspices of the United Nations. The World Summit Awards are a highly diverse and democratic award system that selects and promotes the world’s best digital innovation with impact on society.

The World Summit Awards offer a platform for those who think outside the box, fostering knowledge exchange and enhancing a worldwide multi-stakeholder network. This is a unique opportunity for our entrepreneurs to showcase their efforts and participate in an international contest, which is perfectly in line with the mission of Tech.mt. Indeed, we want to take eBusiness to another level and we strongly believe that we have the talent and skill to succeed not only in a local context but also in a global, international one.

In June 2019, Tech.mt went on to launch the Women4IT project, aiming at bridging the

gender gap and the wider digital divide. Today, 90 per cent of jobs require digital skills, and there are not enough skilled people to occupy these jobs. More men than women have good ICT skills and are employed in digital jobs.

That is why Women4IT will investigate the ICT skills of 1,000 women and train 700 of them based on the customised needs of employers and the opportunities provided by them to test new digital jobs. Women4IT´s aim is to develop digital competences and thereby, the employability of young women (15 - 29 years of age) at risk of exclusion from the labour market, as well as to provide innovative solutions to increase the number of young women in ICT careers and women participating in the digital economy. The project will mainly target unemployed young women, women without targeted education, women after maternity leave and women coming from low income/disadvantaged families. The project, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment, benefits from a ¤2.7 million grant, from which Malta is benefitting ¤346,672.

The fifth edition of the BeSmartOnline Project was also launched in the summer months, during which the findings of the EU Kids Online Study were presented. Commissioned and administered by the BeSmartOnline Consortium and the University of Malta, the study found that children spend an average of 3.3 hours online daily, and that this increases with age. Maltese households with dependent children have one of the highest rates of internet access in Europe. This is commendable and necessitates the availability of empirical research so that parents, policy makers, educators and other stakeholders can ensure that children benefit from internet use without being harmed by the related risks.

Tech.mt is fully committed to promoting Malta’s National Strategy for Technology and Innovation while ensuring that younger generations navigate the internet space in a safe manner. In line with this mission, the BeSmartOnline project will continue to raise awareness and educate minors, carers and educators on the safe use of the internet, and to establish, operate and promote reporting facilities for internet abuse whilst offering support to victims. The project will be implemented over two years with a total investment of ¤443, 188, co-financed by the European Union.

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As part of its mission to assist local technology companies to grow and expand their business into international markets, Tech.mt partnered with the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry as partners of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). The EEN is the leading support network for SMEs interested in internationalisation, bringing together 3,000 experts from more than 600 member organisations, renowned for their excellence in business support.

Through this strategic and cooperative partnership, Tech.mt can facilitate the development of international partnerships by connecting businesses to expertise contacts; ensure expert advice to businesses to simplify entry into international markets; support business innovation services to instigate international success; support the clients’ needs on their international growth path; and assist businesses to find an international business partner.

In October, Tech.mt participated in the DELTA Summit, Malta’s official Blockchain and Digital Innovation event. With a drive to enhance the potential of the technology industry in Malta, DELTA Summit presented Tech.mt with the chance to explore different business networks and engage with the global technology community, whilst serving as a great opportunity to promote Malta as the technology hub of choice and celebrate the country’s favourable regulatory environment and its pioneering initiatives in the disruptive technology sector.

This year Tech.mt also took over the organisation of ZEST, a conference and networking event within the DELTA Summit focusing on digital disruption, innovation, and technology business. Tech.mt has successfully continued the ZEST tradition with inspiring keynotes, fiery debates and engaging discussions featuring international experts and Malta’s very own tech heroes. By exposing Malta’s ecosystem and showcasing its potential, ZEST acts as a platform to reveal what opportunities the integration of technology can offer. Bringing together a global community of entrepreneurs, start-ups and investors, ZEST will always serve as a window of opportunity to generate new leads and build effective relationships and business ideas.

As part of its mission to attract Foreign Direct Investment in the sector, Tech.mt participated in the World Summit AI held during the second week of October. Representing the Government of Malta during the world’s leading and largest AI Summit in Amsterdam, Tech.mt engaged with the brightest brains in AI as they embarked on a mission to tackle the most burning AI issues head-on and set the global AI agenda. Two days of networking and knowledge-sharing meetings with all the big tech players in the global AI ecosystem were held, whereby future collaborations were explored. This summit served as an excellent opportunity to promote Malta as the technology hub of choice and celebrate the country’s favourable regulatory environment and its pioneering initiatives in the disruptive technology sector.

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Tech.mt is also committed towards enhancing cyber security on a national level. In collaboration with MITA, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and Acronis, Tech.mt embarked on an initiative to promote and strengthen cyber security in the local private sector through the B SECURE Scheme. The objective of this scheme, spearheaded by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, is to promote a culture within local businesses that is aware of the importance of cyber security and ensure integration and proper utilisation. A total of €250,000 are being invested in the first initiative of this kind, presenting a unique opportunity for the private sector to asses, develop and transform their businesses against cyber threats. In order to create a sustainable culture, developing a successful cyber security programme requires a distinctive approach. If incorrectly integrated and utilised, technologies cannot protect organisations.

By means of the B SECURE Scheme, businesses established in Malta, or providing a service in or from Malta, may apply for assistance, which includes: training for employees (both executives and industry professionals), penetration testing, as well as vulnerability assessment by specialists in the security field, and above all cyber security awareness, because as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. It is rarely a matter of ‘if’ but it is becoming a matter of ‘when’ our data will be targeted, and as such we are embarking on initiatives like B SECURE to assist our economic sectors to protect one of their most valuable assets as they sail through the revolutionary changes in the digital world.

Towards the end of October, Tech.mt also participated in The Future of Tech panel at EY Malta’s Annual Attractiveness event. As technology continues to advance, businesses will continue to be affected by the latest technology innovations. Digital transformation is about sweeping change and it is everywhere on the agendas of corporate boards. Today’s executives must prioritise technology as a core business function. Businesses that digitally transform will be able to offer customers a seamless and frictionless experience, and thus, claim a more significant share of profit in their sectors.

Customers have found a convenient and swift way to get a service while businesses are working around this demand to maximise their profits, and both are able to achieve

this by using a common underlying platform: technology.

The technology we are already exposed to has paved the way for businesses to innovate further. We are just at the beginning of a revolution that will affect every business.

Rather than viewing digital disruption as a challenging matter of concern, business leaders must keep pace with this transformation and embrace the uncertainty and potential that emerging technologies will bring. The pressure to innovate amid technological progress poses a window of opportunity for us all to rethink the way we work.

During October Tech.mt also participated in the SME National Forum addressing ‘Today’s opportunities and challenges in Employment for SMEs’, organised by the Malta Employers’ Association. Tech.mt Chairman Mark Bugeja spoke about the future of employment in technology, highlighting the need to embrace the challenging digital evolution. The team at Tech.mt believes that we must push ourselves into new paths of technology and be part of the digital transformation that will take us to the next decade!

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As part of its mission to bridge the human resource skills gap and aid growth in the technology sector, Tech.mt met with students at the KSU Freshers’ Week at the University of Malta and also participated in the MCAST Freshers’ week. Later in October, Tech.mt also participated in the sixth annual ICTSA Expo organised in collaboration with the Faculty of ICT at the University of Malta. Technology is a thriving industry focused on innovation and advancement, and is one of the fastest growing segments of the global economy, offering incredible opportunities for long-term growth and success.

Towards the end of October, Tech.mt was invited to participate in the ‘Festival della Diplomazia’ by the Embassy of Malta in Italy.

This was a great opportunity to promote Malta as a technology hub of choice. Tech. mt Chairman Mark Bugeja spoke about the mission of Tech.mt and its vision to make Malta a centre for innovative technologies.

On 15th November, Tech.mt hosted the fourth Digital Invasions project meeting. The concept of the Digital Invasions project revolves around the promotion of good practices in the dissemination, enhancement and care of cultural heritage. Through the medium of technology, the project aims to improve the digital skills of citizens by using new technologies to promote a cultural point of interest.

To promote Malta’s pioneering initiatives in the AI and Blockchain spheres, Tech.mt participated in the third edition of the AIBC Summit. Representing the Government of Malta during this high-quality summit, Tech. mt was presented with a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of investors and innovators. Tech.mt shall be instrumental in taking the technology industry to the next level as it will seek to make the world notice the huge potential this sector in Malta has to offer. Attaining credibility in emerging markets is all about risk management and learning from failure. In this digital transformation we are experiencing, return on investment can be somewhat volatile – this is why stable countries like Malta having healthy regulatory frameworks are a natural choice.

In November Tech.mt CEO Dana Farrugia delivered a speech at The Blockchain Island meets Crypto Valley event in Zug, Switzerland, organised by CV Labs. The event focused on Malta’s blockchain space, in particular Malta’s attractive and reliable business environment.

Having a stable political, economic and financial system, the Maltese legislative and

regulatory framework is a desired factor for investors determining a location to set up their new line of business. Malta’s accessible economic environment and tax incentives demonstrate a flexible work setting. Current investors seem to be very confident about their future business potential on the island, thus reflecting that Malta is already depicted as an attractive place for start-ups.

As part of its mission to engage the youth community and encourage youth participation in the digital economy, Tech.mt participated in the Careers Pathway Fair organised by the Secretariat for Catholic Education for Form five students, on 22nd November.

2020 In 2020, Tech.mt will be organising focus groups with the technology industry to explore and generate ideas. We want the technology sector to be proactively participative in what we do. The main aim of these focus groups is to bring value and assist ambitious businesses to overcome common obstacles and unlock the company’s full potential in preparation for the future. Through the feedback generated from these focus groups, Tech.mt aims to offer superior advisory services and will be delivering proactive support services to tackle businesses’ issues, meet personal business needs, create solutions and strengthen and boost the value of the business.

In this respect, we are committed to take initiative and provide interested businesses with the necessary support services, ensuring that the challenges encountered are reduced and the full potential of the client’s needs are met. It is our privilege to set the key milestones you need to grow. Your goals are our goals too and helping businesses succeed is what we do.

Assisting tech companies to innovate and grow lies at the heart of what we do. If your business aspirations for 2020 are to grow locally and internationally then we invite you to reach out to Tech.mt and send us your feedback, explain your aspirations and expectations and tell us how we can assist you in reaching your business goals. Our team is looking forward to assisting you with advice, support and opportunities.

Tech.mt contact details: https://tech.mt/ Techmt.contact@tech.mt

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E D U C AT I O N M A LTA

European Union Commission Directorate for Education and Culture, whose platform ‘Study in Europe’ promotes the 28 member states’ national agencies tasked to advance the internationalisation of education in their respective countries.

Education Malta was established in October 2016 as public private partnership between the Government of Malta through the Ministry for Education and Employment and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry with the main objectives being: promoting Malta as a centre for internationalisation of education, attracting foreign investment in education and to assist local accredited institutions to attract international students to pursue studies in Malta. The partnership synergies between the Education Ministry and the Malta Chamber work well and ensure that these objectives are being successfully achieved.

Upon its coming into effect, Education Malta joined a number of prestigious international groups that promote the internationalisation of education, endeavouring to attract students from around the world to study in Europe and to promote a fair and equal education to all global citizens. These include the

In 2017 Education Malta became full member of Global Education Network Europe – GENE. Education Malta over the past year continued to take a number of initiatives to promote Malta as a centre of quality for both education institutions as well as students interested in Malta’s education sector.

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Commitments for the foundation continued in Brussels during the EU Directorate for Education and Culture’s Annual General Meeting together with participants from 27 European countries and the promotion of Education Malta in Zurich during the third International Education Career Exhibition, EduCa Expo.

In April, the foundation, together with delegates from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Education and Employment, was present along with other delegates from 25 member countries at the Global Education Network Europe (GENE) 40th roundtable meeting held in Berlin.

The Maltese shared their experience in implementing the GENE Increase programme following its launch in local primary and secondary schools in June 2018.

Education Malta continues to collaborate closely with the British Council. Malta’s initiatives in the certification of education qualifications on blockchain were promoted during the UK British Council’s Going Global conference held in Berlin in May 2019. Malta was recognised as being one of the first countries to have school/education certificates available on blockchain.

On the occasion of the Education World Forum, Education Ministers Action Group Meeting held in February 2019 at Marlborough House, Education Malta’s Chairman together with the Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo attended these meetings. They also visited UK based educational entities which already have a presence in Malta or collaboration with the Ministry for Education and Employment.

These included the Prince’s Trust’s London Headquarters, Queen Mary University of London, St Barts, Middlesex University, London School of Commerce and STEM, Digital Skills and Ed Tech.

In March, Education Malta led a delegation made up of Malta College of Arts Science and Technology, Institute of Tourism Studies, Queen Mary University of London St Barts and St Martin’s Institute at a student’s fair in Kiev organised by the European Union’s Directorate General for Education and Culture through its ‘Study in Europe’ project. Over 1,000 students visited the fair, at which 22 EU countries and over 50 educational entities participated. This was a valuable opportunity for Education Malta to showcase Malta’s attractiveness for international students to Ukrainian students who showed interest to further their studies in Malta.

Promotion of education in Artificial Intelligence was also given prominence on Education Malta’s promotional agenda. Proposals for further educational investment in this sector were considered and discussed with both foreign as well as local accredited education institutions.

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Further promotion was pursued outside Europe through the participation at the NAFSA’s 72nd Annual Conference held in Washington DC in May 2019. This was in conjunction with the EU Directorate for Education and Culture – Study in Europe.

Following the signing of a MoU between Malta and Russia in 2017 concerning the mutual recognition of academic qualifications, the opportunity was taken to promote Malta to students from the Russian Federation during a visit to Russia in August 2019 for the Moscow City Education Forum 2019.

The visit programme included attending Moscow’s national education conference, technology exhibition and visits to educational entities including secondary level schools.

Also holding bi-lateral meetings with Russian counterparts. Higher education in Malta was promoted in China during the China International Import Expo Fair in November 2019. Education Malta joined other enterprises and educational institutions that formed part of a delegation led by Malta’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Ministry and Trade Malta Education Malta participated at the 31st Conference of the European Association for International Education held in Helsinki in September 2019. The conference, which is considered to be the largest in Europe on the internationalisation of education, was attended

by over 6,000 delegates. During this event, the foundation engaged with international entities to promote Malta’s education sector and its attractiveness to education institutions and students.

In October 2019, Education Malta, with the support of the Ministry for Education and Employment, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, hosted the Global Education Network Europe for a three-day conference. 77 delegates from 25 European and non-European countries came together to discuss the way forward in the various fields of interest in global education.

Three participants from Belgium, France and Slovakia respectively were awarded for their innovative projects that contribute towards the progress and delivery of global education at the ‘Global Education Ideas Awards’ ceremony that was held at the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry offices in Valletta at the end of this Conference.

Education Malta, on the invitation of the EU Directorate for Education and Culture, participated at a one-day conference, ‘Investing in people by investing in Higher Education in Africa’. The EU Commission, together with the National Agencies of Germany, UK, France and the Netherlands, were the prime organisers. The main aim of this conference, that brought together 400

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International Cooperation in HE (DIKU) in London in November 2019. Ways of attracting students from Africa to study in Europe and the involvement of Nordic countries in central and Southern African continent and their respective experience through scholarships and physical presence in Africa through own campuses were the main topics discussed at this event.

participants from Europe and Africa, was to consider and discuss the EU’s aid and support to Africa through collaboration, mobility, exchange of academics, scientists and students between the two continents in view of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 titled ‘The Africa we want’.

Education Malta was invited to attend the Donor Harmonisation Group 10th Annual meeting which was organised by the UK British Council; the Association of Commonwealth Universities; The Dutch NUFFIC and the Norwegian Agency for

Apart from the numerous commitments overseas, Education Malta regularly welcomes and assists parties who express interest to invest in Malta and its education sector. During 2019 the Chairman, together with the Board of Governors, discussed and evaluated various proposals of collaboration and investment from foreign investors who showed interest in the education sector.

Education Malta’s aim for the coming years is to harness Malta’s resources, in particular those of the Education Ministry, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry as well as Malta Enterprise, and to continue to liaise with the already established local education entities to attract more international students to pursue their studies in Malta, which at present exceed 3,000 in number.

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P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S A N D C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

Throughout the year in review, communication was once again given its due importance, as the Malta Chamber continued to consolidate its presence in business-specialised media as well as national debate.

Chamber officials once again represented the organisation’s views in the country’s foremost discussion programmes and the Chamber’s news was featured prominently on all news outlets. In 2019, the Chamber issued 52 press releases – a number which reflects the vociferousness with which the Chamber voiced its opinions in favour of its members in the past months. www.maltachamber.org.mt continued to grow as Malta’s leading specialised business portal, together with the complete portfolio of communications products the Chamber offers to its members and businesses at large.

The business portal, which is produced in collaboration with Content House Group Ltd, continued to provide readers with regular business news from Malta and around the world, without missing out on updating members on the work of the Malta Chamber.

In early 2020, the news portal also incorporated www.whoswho.mt – Malta’s Business Search Engine – showcasing thousands of businesspeople, managers and professionals, as well as companies based in Malta.

Throughout the year in review, the Malta Chamber also continued to reinforce its strong presence and exposure through traditional media, as it continued to contribute to the national debate on economic and business matters, while the weekly newsletter Chamberlink arrived in thousands of inboxes 52 times in 2019.

The Malta Chamber also kept its members and the public updated with its work, as well as with its positions and opinions, through its own media channels. Six editions of the Commercial Courier magazine were published.

The Annual Administrative report was also sent to members well in advance of the Annual General Meeting. The Malta Chamber also produced a fourth edition of Economic Vision – Business, Finance, Economy 2020.

0144 TH E MA LTA C H A M B E R A N N UA L R E P O RT 2019/2020

PRESS RELEASES ISSUED IN 2019 1.

30 January 2019

Damage control in Brussels mitigates Directive’s impact

2.

31 January 2019

The Chamber’s Views on the Transfer of Public Land are Clear and Consistent

3.

21 February 2019

Chamber urges MEP hopefuls, political parties to contribute to a responsible, mature debate

4.

25 February 2019

“Status quo in the Private Rental Sector not sustainable”

5.

27 February 2019

Malta Chamber in collaboration with Malta Enterprise launches ‘Make It’ - a campaign aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career

6.

13 March 2019

Malta Chamber holds the first-ever edition of the Maltese Parliament for Enterprises

7.

21 March 2019

8.

21 March 2019

PR Canton Fair CIIE 2019 Yachting Services Business Section within the Malta Chamber provides an update on the latest developments in the Yachting Sector

9.

25 March 2019

Chamber to propose a new Economic Vision to Government

10.

25 March 2019

Chamber welcomes air Malta’s financial turn-around

11.

25 March 2019

Tech.mt launched

12.

27 March 2019

The state of the Economy

13.

29 March 2019

Perit David Xuereb elected 70th President of the Malta Chamber

14.

12 April 2019

Tenders must not be adjudicated to businesses in breach of any law

15.

18 April 2019

Malta Chamber delegation meets President of Malta

16.

7 May 2019

Bank of Valletta and Malta Chamber strengthen ties for benefit of Maltese Businesses

17.

14 May 2019

Malta’s fiscal structures are a serious matter, not a political football

18.

15 May 2019

Chamber welcomes landmark ruling on pre-1995 leases

19.

31 May 2019

Malta Chamber Business Forum brings together Japanese and Maltese businesses

20.

8 June 2019

The ethical standards and quality of the construction industry need to be raised immediately

21.

13 June 2019

Scheme to offer cyber security solutions to businesses

22.

14 June 2019

Better connectivity is always welcome, yet national airline’s strategic importance can never be put aside

23.

24 June 2019

Reform will only be successful if all stakeholders have the will to change, improve

24.

27 June 2019

“Construction Industry needs to restore reputation with the people who deserve better” David Xuereb

25.

1 July 2019

Let Common Sense Prevail

26.

4 July 2019

Teachers to be exposed to the realities of industry in second edition of voluntary programme

27.

11 July 2019

Malta Chamber and Malta Institute of Accountants commit to collaborate in the future

28.

11 July 2019

Malta member on the European Court of Auditors Leo Brincat visits Chamber

29.

24 July 2019

30.

26 July 2019

Malta Bangladesh Business Forum Doubts Cast on Financial Services Sector Must be Cleared Decisively

0146 TH E MA LTA C H A M B E R A N N UA L R E P O RT 2019/2020

31.

31 July 2019

The Residential Leases Act falls short of achieving true objectives

32.

8 August 2019

Construction Agency must only be the first step in a long journey of raising standards

33.

10 September 2019

No answers on Residential Leases Act concerns can only make matters worse

34.

13 September 2019

Competitiveness, alternative transportation, respectful construction industry and investment in RDI characterise Chamber proposals for pre-Budget 2020

35.

23 September 2019

Closing of Thomas Cook underlines importance of strengthening Insolvency Fund

2 October 2019

High time to take the quality quantum leap in the building industry

37.

4 October 2019

Chamber Proposals for Budget 2020 – Labour costs, a true threat to the country’s competitiveness

36.

38.

7 October 2019

“The country’s current success cannot be taken for granted”

39.

10 October 2019

Opposition pre-budget proposals provide stability

40.

14 October 2019

Initial Reactions to the Budget 2020 by the Malta Chamber

41.

16 October 2019

The Malta Chamber appeals for truth and integrity to always prevail

42.

28 October 2019

43.

29 October 2019

44.

8 November 2019

45.

12 November 2019

Malta Chamber and Chamber of Engineers sign Memorandum of Understanding Malta Chamber and Kamra tal-Periti agree to collaborate further The Malta Chamber congratulates Frank V. Farrugia on his appointment as chair of the Malta Broadcasting Authority Malta Chamber supports MCAST Work Based Learning project

46.

22 November 2019

The Malta Chamber stands with the Chamber of Engineers on the Engineering Profession Act

47.

26 November 2019

The Country and the Genuine Businessperson need the Truth to emerge and a Healing Process to follow

48.

28 November 2019

Malta Chamber, on behalf of ethical business calls for political maturity

49.

29 November 2019

Ethical business calls for justice to be done, and be seen to be done …soon

50.

4 December 2019

Malta Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Ethical Business urges Prime Minister to do the right thing

51.

14 December 2019

52.

16 December 2019

Malta Chamber Heartened by President’s Republic Day Address “Employer organisations demand systematic clean-up of all structures and offices that were implicated in facilitating corruption, crime”

ANNUAL A D M I N I S T R AT I V E

REPORT 2019-2020