Author: SME Chamber

Customs authorities detain nearly 36 million fake
goods at EU borders in 2013 – Customs authorities in the EU detained almost 36 million items suspected
of violating intellectual property rights (IPR) in 2013, according to the
Commission's annual report on customs actions to enforce IPR.

Although this is
less than previous years, the value of the intercepted goods still represents
more than € 760 million. The report also gives statistics on the type,
provenance and transport method of counterfeit products detained at the EU's
external borders.

For the full article, kindly visit:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-890_en.htm

Single Euro
Payments Area to bring easier payments and transfers in
euro area from 1 August – The Single Euro Payments
Area (SEPA) creates a true European Single Market for retail payments in euro
where and transfers, direct debits and payments between Member States are as
easy and fast as the equivalent domestic transactions.

It will become
operational in all euro zone countries on 1st August 2014. It will also apply
to euro-denominated transactions in non-euro zone countries from 30th October
2016. SEPA will greatly facilitate euro payments for citizens and businesses
and increase competition between banks.

For further information,
kindly visit: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-502_en.htm

The Malta-EU
Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC), together with the Malta Competition and
Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA), have this week organised an information
session on the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 98/2013 on the marketing
and use of explosives precursors.

The information session on the ‘Regulation (EU) No 98/2013 on the
marketing and use of explosives precursors', focused to ban the sale to the
general public of three chemical precursors (Annex 1 of the Regulation) to
homemade explosives above specified concentrations.

These chemicals include:

Member States can decide to allow purchase of these chemicals above the
concentrations on presentation of a licence or registration of personal
details. Retailers and wholesalers must ensure that any restricted product is
labelled as per guidance to be developed by the European Commission. Retailers
must also monitor transactions of these and a further eight chemicals (Annex 2
of the regulation) for suspicious activity at any concentration great enough
that the substance

Further information can be found:
http://www.meusac.gov.mt/eventdetails?ed=171

GRTU Deputy
President Philip Fenech has this week participated a news conference in
Paceville, organised by Transport Malta during which an awareness campaign to
keep public places clean and tidy was launched.

During
the conference, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis stated that tourism levels
this year were expected to exceed 1.6 million arrivals. August would be the
peak month with 220,000 tourists expected to visit the island. Since a large
arrival of tourists needs a better infrastructure and for this reason €1.5
million were being invested in the cleansing sector to be used for the purchase
of new equipment and more litter bins in tourist areas.

Mr Joe
Mizzi remarked that, last year, a number of zones which needed to be cleaned up
more often were identified. To cater for the demand, 70 employees were engaged
with the cleansing section and €300,000 were invested in new equipment. Another
€100,000 was spent on the installation of more than 500 waste bins. They will
be emptied twice daily and washed at least once a week.

Philip Fenech stated that this
initiative is a positive ongoing process that must be extended with continuous
education. It is also positive that children are being targeted specifically as
this is the target group which one should invest in. It is beneficial that this
campaign was initiated within tourists centres that will be visited by a high
number of tourists during peak season. However it is important that this
campaign is maintained but not only during peak seasons but all year around.

GRTU would like to express its disappointment with the
announcement made by the Ministry for Education and Employment last Saturday,
on the complete abandon of the Smart Card Scheme.

The Ministry's concern with the Scheme is legitimate
as GRTU has also reviewed the report of the National Audit Office and it indeed
confirmed the problems we were well aware of. GRTU in fact had outlined a
number of shortcomings and insisted that reviews were necessary but deciding to
do away with the system as a whole defeats the purpose of the grant itself.

GRTU represents retailers, partners in the smart card
scheme, and our concerns have been made public throughout the period the scheme
was operational up till last year's Budget proposals where we argued against
the unfair percentage fee charged on all transactions by the company
administrating it as opposed to a flat rate transaction fee. Notwithstanding
this, GRTU was in no way consulted on the foreseen abolition of the Scheme.

We feel that the new system, as communicated last
Saturday, can only increase instances of abuse. It lacks any kind of dissuasion
or incentive for students to invest all the grant in items targeted at
enhancing the students' education. GRTU had insisted on the creation of a
simple updatable database of items which a student would be allowed to purchase
in relation to the programme of studies s/he would be following, similar to the
list of books required. Unfortunately students might now be more inclined to
spend the least possible amount of funds on their educational needs.

Amongst other things, the National Audit Office
outlined that students spent part of their funds mostly on sportswear and
fitness equipment, mobile top-ups, and other non-educational items but it also
explained how the system could be improved including a recommendation to
re-issue the tender. We will therefore be moving from a situation where we know
how much money is being spent and on what to a situation where everything is a
mystery. The new system will not keep track on what students spend the money on
as so far no real safeguards addressing this have been mentioned. We feel tax
payer's money deserve to be better accounted for.

In addition the new system will also continue to
aggravate the situation we have with the evasion of Eco-Contribution when
purchases are made online. GRTU is in no way against buying online as long as
there is a level playing field where everyone competes fairly. Most students at
some point or another buy laptops and other electronic devices such as
notebooks, that are subject to Eco-Tax, a Maltese tax which is so far only
enforced when purchases are made locally.

GRTU will be calling on Hon Bartolo to meet with
urgency to discuss the issue. GRTU feels that alternative solutions should be
sought and that with some goodwill and consultation we can introduce an
improved system that is effective, efficient and accountable.

GRTU's National Executive Council has this week met the
Opposition with most of the Nationalist MPs. GRTU President Paul Abela stated
that in line with the interest of GRTU members we do our best to maintain good
relations with not only the Government of the day but also the Opposition.

Mr
Abela said that GRTU wants to maintain regular contact with the Opposition to
help us in reaching our goals for our members. He also took the opportunity to
wish Dr Beppe Fenech Adami a speedy recovery.

GRTU is not satisfied with the amount of information
and support businesses operating in Libya are receiving. He recalled that when
there was the outbreak of the crises the Government of that time had brought
social partners together for briefings and sought to support businesses in
Libya. The messages businesses were getting after the crises was to try to hold
talks and establish business as many other countries had already gained ground.
GRTU therefore called on MCESD to convene with urgency to be briefed and discuss
the subject.

President Abela also mentioned GRTU's opposition to the
decision taken to waive CVA obligations for teachers working in Valletta. Mr
Abela asked ‘why are these employees being treated differently? Why are the
employees of our members, Government employees and employees of other larger
institutions such as the banks being discriminated?' He said that GRTU had
already expressed its clear disagreement with this through our member on the
CVA board.

The Leader of the Opposition Dr Simon Busuttil said that the
Opposition always welcomes opportunities to meet an important partner as the
GRTU. This constituted the second meeting with one of the main stakeholders
which was started two weeks ago with the UHM. He continued saying that the
Opposition intends to meet with all the important stakeholders and social
partners at MCESD.

Dr Busuttil stated that this was important because
politicians do not possess all the knowledge and they should merely represent
the aspirations of society and business is part of this. Dr Busuttil also
expressed the Opposition's concern with Libya and they themselves had asked for
a Parliamentary sitting on the subject as they were not pleased with the level
of transparency of the situation. He also said that the Opposition backed
GRTU's position against the Smart Card Development and the free entrance to
Valletta to teachers. Dr Busuttil said that these were clearly populist
decisions aimed at pleasing a particular group and not for the benefit of
society as a whole.

The Opposition was pleased that the economy is still doing
well however it was preoccupied with the high level of Government spending and
with the dwindling sales in retail which is also evident from Eurostat
Statistics.

Following this initial exchange the GRTU officials discussed
the issues and priorities it currently has in more detail.

GRTU President and CEO have this week met Hon Anthony Agius
Decelis, Commissioner for Simplification and Reduction of Bureaucracy, whom
explained Government's plans in putting in place the promise we have been
hearing about for long, red carpet treatment for business.

Hon Agius Decelis said that the first part of the
programme, the consultation with various stakeholder, was now almost complete
and the second stage involved evaluation, lists prioritization of proposals and
take action directly with the relevant Ministries and Departments to ensure
they deliver and the necessary changes are made. He said that they have already
introduced a fast trek application system with MEPA and invited the GRTU to
make concrete suggestions that we together could work on. Hon Agius Decelis
emphasized that the sharing of data between Government Departments was
necessary and they were also introducing a sunset clause whereby if a reply by
the relevant Authorities is not given by a specified deadline, an application
form for instance, would be considered accepted.

GRTU stated that more transparency and clarity was
required for a number of processes where it is clear what a business needs to
adhere to and not end up depending on the whims of individuals. More clarity
for instance is needed with funds and schemes where a business knows clearly
whether it is eligible or not to benefit and what it needs to do. Nothing not
clearly stated beforehand can be requested after or used as an excuse to deny
funds. GRTU also mentioned that it would be putting forward also Customs, VAT
and Procurement issues to the Commissioner in order to improve the conditions
for business. 

The Saudi Government has given permission to the country's
financial regulator to open the stock market to direct investment by foreign
financial institutions.

The cabinet authorized the Capital Market Authority –
at a time it sees as appropriate – to allow foreign financial institutions to
buy and sell stocks on the Saudi stock market, according to rules to be laid
down by the CMA. The statement did not specify a timetable for the market to be
opened, or give any details of the rules under which the reform would take
place, but according to the article below from Arab News this will start in
2015. Saudi authorities, who want to use the market to create jobs, diversify
the economy beyond oil and expose local firms to more market discipline, have
been preparing for the opening for years, and have completed most technical
preparations. But the government has delayed implementing the reform,
apparently concerned about causing volatility in the market as well as the
political sensitivity of allowing foreigners to build large stakes in top Saudi
companies.

Such decisions by the Saudi government indicate that
they want to diversify as much as possible the economy of the country and not
depend only on oil and gas revenues and this is one of the sectors which will
boost further the financial resources of the country.

Further information on this article can be found at: http://reut.rs/1piRuWd

New
opportunities for European businesses, affordable energy bills for consumers,
increased energy security through a significant reduction of natural gas
imports and a positive impact on the environment: these are some of the
expected benefits of the energy efficiency target for 2030 put forward today by
the European Commission in a Communication.

The
proposed target goes beyond the 25% energy savings target which would be
required to achieve a 40% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030. At the same time
the framework on energy efficiency put forward today aims to strike the right
balance between benefits and costs.

Günther
H. Oettinger, Vice-President of the EU Commission responsible for energy said:
"Our proposal is the basis to drive the EU towards increased security of
supply, innovation and sustainability, all in an affordable way. It is
ambitious and at the same time it is realistic. The energy efficiency strategy
will complete the 2030 framework on energy and climate which has been presented
in January 2014. Our aim is to give the right signal to the market and
encourage further investments in energy saving technologies to the benefit of
businesses, consumers and the environment."

The
Communication on energy efficiency and its contribution to energy security and
the 2030 framework presented today also reviews progress towards the European
Union's 20% energy efficiency target for 2020. The EU is currently forecast to
achieve energy savings of 18-19% in 2020; however, the agreed target of 20% can
be reached if all EU countries fully implement the already agreed legislation.
The Commission does not intend to propose new measures, but calls on the Member
States to step up their efforts to ensure collective delivery of the 2020
target.

Benefits
of current energy efficiency policies

Among
the proven advantages for business and consumers are, for instance:

1. Energy
intensity in EU industry has decreased by almost 19% between 2001 and 2011.

2. More efficient
appliances like refrigerators and washing machines are expected to save
consumers €100 billion annually – about €465 per household – on their energy
bills by 2020.

3. New buildings
consume half as much energy today as they did in the 1980s.

Long-term
benefits

The
Communication also explores the positive impacts of energy efficiency on the
lives of Europeans over the next sixteen years:

1. For every additional 1 percent in
energy savings, EU gas imports are expected to fall by 2.6%, decreasing our
dependence on external suppliers.

2. More energy efficient buildings will
offer 'ancillary benefits' to people who live and work in them in addition to
reducing their energy bills. For example, better windows can provide for
increased air quality and protection from external noise.

3. Energy efficiency policies will
create new opportunities for European businesses such as construction firms and
equipment manufacturers. In line with this, new local jobs are created.

What's next?

As the
Communication announces, the European Commission will review progress on energy
efficiency in 2017. It will explore the question whether additional indicators
should be used to express and monitor progress towards the energy efficiency
target. This could be indicators, such as energy intensity, which better take
account of underlying changes in and projections for GDP and population growth.