Category: Archive – 2010

Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn has announced nearly € 6.4 billion of European Commission investment in research and innovation. The package, the biggest ever, covers a vast range of scientific disciplines, public policy areas and commercial sectors. This funding will advance scientific boundaries, increase European competitiveness and help solve societal challenges such as climate change, energy and food security, health and an ageing population.

Around 16,000 participants from research organisations, universities and industry, including about 3,000 SMEs, will receive funding. Grants will be awarded through "calls for proposals" (invitations to bid) and evaluations over the next 14 months. It is expected this will create more than 165.000 jobs. It is also a long-term investment in a smarter, sustainable and more inclusive Europe. It is a key element within the EU's Europe 2020 Strategy and in particular the Innovation Union Flagship, which will be launched in autumn 2010.

Top priority is given to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), the backbone of the European innovation system, representing 99% of all European businesses. SMEs, will receive close to €800 million and for the first time, there will be ringfenced budgets in several areas. For example, in health, knowledge-based bioeconomy, environment and nanotechnologies SME participation must reach 35 % of the total budget for a number of topics.

Background

The budget for the Seventh Framework Programme calls for proposals in 2011 is €6.4 billion, up 12% in comparison to 2010 (€5.7 billion) and 30% in comparison to 2009 (€4.9 billion).

The Seventh Framework Programme is the largest single research programme in the world, with a budget of more than € 50.5 billion, excluding Euratom – for 2007-2013.

By adopting the Europe 2020 strategy, Europe's political leaders have put research and innovation at the top of the European political agenda, making it the cornerstone of investment in sustainable growth and jobs.

The calls for proposals announced will feed in to Europe's Innovation Union Flagship, which Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn will launch in autumn 2010. This initiative is central to the Europe 2020 Strategy, and aims to boost the whole innovation chain "from research to retail", by marrying world-class science with an innovation economy or "i-conomy". It will remove bottlenecks which hamper a single market in innovation and which prevent Europe competing as well as it should with the US and others.

It will also introduce "Innovation Partnerships" bringing together the main actors in key areas and aiming to strike the right balance between collaboration and competition.

The purpose of the SME Finance Challenge is to source the most innovative ideas to unlocking private finance for SMEs in the developing world, especially those solutions that leverage public resources in some way. The 15 winners of the competition will be invited to the next G20 summit in South Korea this November to share and discuss their ideas . As the person in charge of MENA outreach, I believe your organization would make a great network partner or part of a collaborative team entry for the challenge. 

 

A Network Partner shares news and information about the competition with its member organizations and encourages them to enter their solutions. In exchange your agency would be featured (logo and a brief description) on the SME Challenge website along with the many other high profile organizations such as the International Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE). A second way would be to enter a solution into the competition, which you could do in collaborate with one or a group of your private sector affiliates or contacts – one example of which might be a private bank or venture capital firm. The G20 has stipulated that public sector organizations can participate as long as the lead entrant is a private sector organization.

The Challenge website: http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/SME-Finance please take a moment to look it over. We are very interested to hear your feedback and speak with you about working with us to get out the message about the Challenge and this amazing opportunity.

GRTU has written to MRA CEO following complaints we have received from numerous enterprises, members of the GRTU, that they have received bills covering 6 months of operation instead of the usual 2 months.

GRTU has first of all asked the CEO to confirm or otherwise whether this is true. If this is we also requested to know whether this was done with the approval of the MRA and whether an economic impact assessment measuring the impact on households` disposable income and on the general private consumption was effected. .

GRTU finally requested to know what remedial action has MRA taken to ensure that Enemalta/Arms Ltd takes into consideration these issues and not operate in complete disregard of the commercial community.

Members have complained that not only have they themselves been tremendously shocked when they received their electricity bills but they have noticed a drop in spending from the time it was heard that the bills were going to be received. The MRA CEO has so far acknowledged receipt of our mail and said it would be followed up and we would be informed accordingly

Il-GRTU din l-gimgha regghet irceviet rapporti li l-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni f'affari ta' ftit granet regghet giet mitfuha f'konfuzzjoni ghax beda jieqaf il-process kollu mix-xoghol fil-barrieri. 

B'nuqqas ta` ftehim u ppjanar bejn il-MEPA u l-MRA, l-awtoritajiet koncernati li jirregolaw il-process u l-uzu ta` esploziv fl-industrija tal-barrieri tal-qawwi, l-operaturi, l-haddiema, self employed u kuntratturi fl-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni ilhom jbghatu ghal dawn l-ahhar xhur ghal nuqqas li ghalih ma jahtu xejn.

 

Immedjatament wara l-barrieri jieqfu wkoll il-manifattura tal-prodotti tas-siment ghall-bini ghax dawn iridu z-zrar u r-ramel mill-barrieri u maghhom il-kuntratturi tat-toroq, tal-bini w il-burdnara tal-garr tal-materjali ghall bini. 

Min hu responsabbli f'dawn l-awtoritajiet jaf sew li l-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni illum hi kontributur ewlieni ghall-prodott gross nazzjonali ta` pajjizna u meta jkun hemm anke l-inqas tip ta' intopp fil-MEPA l-ewwel li tieqaf hi l-industrija tal-barrieri tal-qawwi ghax ix-xoghol f'dawn il-barrieri jiddependi minn sensiela zghira ta` nies fl-awtoritajiet ikkoncernati.

Il-GRTU, li tirrapprezenta` lis-sidien tal barrieri, zviluppaturi u kuntratturi u self-employed f'din l-industrija qeghda titlob l-intervent tal-ghola awtoritajiet halli din il-kwistjoni tinqata` illum qabel ghada u tappella lil min hu responsabbli jiehu r-responsabilita li fuqu jiddependi l-ghejxien ta` dawn in-nies.

GRTU has this week written to Ms Marlene Bonnici, Director General of the Planning and Priorities Coordination Division (the managing authority for such funds), in relation to the subject in caption and more specifically to the date of the next call to be issued.

GRTU reminded the Director General that this funding mechanism is very popular with enterprises. We feel that it is one of the few grants available which our members do not feel discouraged to apply for as the energy they put into applying for funding pays off, if the application is accepted, by granting funding where they feel it is most relevant.

 

Last year GRTU in collaboration with the Tourism and Sustainable Development Unit held an information session for the last call issued. Even though members found the call very interesting they felt they did not have enough time to present a good enough project form the date of the info session to the deadline and most decided to wait for the next call and until then apply for all permits necessary.

Both the GRTU and its members are now very keen to see the new call published at the earliest, we are however concerned that the call will take much longer than the expected October date to be published and the reason seems to be that the TSDU have some issues to settle before with the PPCD. GRTU admitted it is not aware of the gravity of these issues however, we feel that this should not halt the process. It is extremely important that the call is issued not later than October 2010 even more so since the evaluation of the application takes up to 7 months, meaning May 2011, this will give applicants just enough time to carry out the projects before the peak tourism season starts. GRTU appealed to the DG not only to ensure the call is issued in October 2010 but the evaluation period is diminished to 3 months. Only in this way will the applicants have enough time to implement the project before the tourism season starts and for the project to start reaping immediate benefits. Till today no reply has been received from the PPCD.

 Nuqqas ta' konsultazzjoni relatata ma tisbieh fil-Belt Valletta qed tirrizulta f'detriment ghal Komunita' Kummercjali

Sfortunatament is-sitwazzjoni fil-Belt qeghda tiddeterjora b'pass mghaggel anke wara l-investiment kbir li qed jaghmel il-Gvern f'dak li hu pavimentar taz-zoni pedonali u restawr ta' bini storiku.

Il-GRTU qeghda titlob li flimkien mar-rapprezentanti tal-Ministeru tar-Rizorsi u Affarjiet Rurali, l-Ministeru ghall-Infrastruttura Trasport u Komunikazzjoni, Ufficjali gholja tal-Pulizija inkarigati mill-Belt Valletta, rapprezentanti tal-ADT u tal-Ufficcju tal-Prim Ministru, kif ukoll rapprezentanti tal-Kunsill Lokali tal-Belt Valletta, jitfassal pjan li jizgura li l-partijiet koncernati tal-Belt Valletta ma jkomplux jidditerjoraw.

 

 

 Il-GRTU qeghda tinsisti li ssir konsultazzjoni ghall-fatt li kull darba li jsiru dawn il-progetti qieghed jintilef ammont sostanzjali ta' parkegg li ma jigiex mibdul f'alternattivi ohra bhal per ezempju l-progett ta' Pjazza San Gorg, Papa Piu, St John Cavalier, Freedom Square u ricentament l-progett gewwa d-Ditch li bihsiebu jiehu bejn 16 – 18 il-xhar.  

Din il-problema issa giet aggravata bin-nuqqas ta` pjanar fix-xoghol li qed isir, bil-problema ewlenija tibqa l-accessibilita' tan-nies li jridu jaghmlu uzu mill-facilitajiet vasti li toffri il-Belt Valletta. Is-sidien tal-istabbilimenti tal-Belt ghandhom spejjez enormi u ghandhom kompetizzjoni qawwija minn centri kummercjali ohra mifruxa ma Malta. Il-konsumatur jekk ma jkollux accessibilita' facli, jevita li jidhol il-Belt ghax ghandu postijiet ohra minn fejn jinqeda. Il-Hwienet, shopping arcades, postijiet tad-divertiment, hwienet tal-kafe, restoranti u facilitajiet ta` servizzi ta` kull generu mifruxin mall-Belt Valletta illum ma jifilhux aktar isoffru telf minhabba li n-nies qed tkun skuragguta milli tiffrekwenta c-centru kummercjali tal-Belt Valletta. Dawn kollha jinvolvu bejniethom investiment kapitali ta' miljuni kbar ta' euro u jhaddmu maghhom ammont sostanzjali ta' nies.

Il-GRTU resqet diversi proposti f'isem is-sidien tal-istabbilimenti ta' kif is-sitwazzjoni tista` tirrisolva ruhha. Il-problema izda ser tibqa dejjem jekk l-awtoritajiet ma jaghtux widen ta' dawn il-proposti. Jekk l-Gvern ser jibqa`stinat li jibqa ghaddej bil-pjanijiet kif inhuma llum, pjanijiet li qatt ma raw l-approvazzjoni tal-kommunita' tan-negozji tal-Belt, il-futur ghan-negozji fil-Belt hu imcajpar hafna.

Il-GRTU qeghda tistenna azzjoni immedjata u qed toffri s-servizzi taghha u l-kollaborazzjoni shiha tas-sidien tal-istabbilimenti biex jinstghabu soluzzjonijiet prattici.

GRTU has written to Mellieha Mayor Mr Robert Cutajar informing him that as promised is mediating talks with members of the Mellieha business community over measures to reduce the level of pollution in the area and solve the problem of traffic congestion and lack of parking.

 

The Mellieha council has proposed to pedestrianise the major shopping area in order to provide a solution to these problems, GRTU however, representing the majority of the outlets in the main shopping area in Mellieha, mainly in George  Borg Olivier Street, informed the Council that the proposal is not an easy one.

GRTU is not opposing to what the Local Council is proposing, however the issue is delicate as the proposal might have negative effects on the business community. GRTU has discussed the Council's extremely innovative proposal  with its members and the first reactions towards the Council's proposal were that the business community will suffer loss in business if this proposal will materialise.

GRTU has commissioned a survey among its members in the area, and intends to discuss the results during a meeting with the Council;

Fifty-seven (57) GRTU members took part in the survey out of the sixty seven (67) who were eligible to participate.

Thirty two (32) respondents opposed the idea of Borg Olivier Street being pedestrianised, while only six (6) were in favour of this idea.

A large majority of respondents also opposed the idea of a partial pedestrianisation of the road, such as on Saturday afternoons, on Saturdays, when activities are organised in the street, on public holidays or during the Christmas period.

The respondents were almost equally divided, however, over whether the road should be closed to public transport;

Twenty four (24) respondents said buses should continue to be allowed to pass through Borg Olivier Street, while twenty three (23) opposed to this.

Twenty four (24) respondents said the parking situation should remain unchanged while sixteen (16) replied in the negative. Twelve (12) of those questioned agreed that parking should be allowed on one side of the road while twenty (20) opposed this idea. A huge majority of respondents, forty three (43) agreed that MEPA should give the go ahead for new parking spaces to be made available.

Forty three (43) respondents agreed that the current two way traffic system in the street should continue, while fourteen (14) disagreed with this.

GRTU is awaiting to meet the Local Council to discuss the survey and the next steps.

 

As the authorities, independent bodies and businesses who have an interest in the subject know, GRTU is behind what has led Government to issue the related Application for Exemption from Eco Contribution in accordance to Legal Notice 84 of 2010 and Legal Notice 74 of 2008 last 4th August. GRTU is the business representative leading businesses not to regard their environmental obligations as a burden but as a social responsibility. We are extremely happy that with this last step the GRTU can see its vision of sustainability reaised with its subsidiary Green MT tacking the burden of businesses on its showlders and operate sustainably.

 

GRTU has since the introduction of the Eco Contribution insisted with Government that the law as drafted and implemented was discriminatory as it arbitrarily selected a number of enterprises and made the products they commercialise subject to the ECOTAX and most others were not forced to abide by the new waste-management compliance standards.

Notwithstanding this, GRTU has strongly worked throughout the last years to build a more corporate responsability approach by its members in order for these members to be able to take up their responsabilities in respect to the environmental obligations of Waste Packaging and also Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

While committing itself as a national business organisation to manage a waste Compliance scheme on behalf of its members, GRTU over these last years spearheded the business communities discussions with Government  so that the legal-frame work was put in place both for producers and also for Waste Packaging Complaince Schemes and the sectors related to this infrastructure. The long road led to many obstacles which were overturned one by one after continued structured negotiations with Government Ministries, Authorities and the Local Councils through the Local Councils Association.

In spearheading this silent revolution, GRTU set up its fully owned subsidiary not for profit enterprise Green Mt. Green Mt is a fully licenced National Waste Compliance and Management Scheme  with a permit to operate a Waste Packaging Compliance Scheme. The Scheme has been working logistically through a partnership with Subcontractors and Local Councils since July 01, 2009.

Green Mt today operates in 41 Local Councils in respect to Recovery of Waste Packaging Collection and in agreement with the National  Waste Materials Recovery Facility WasteServ( Malta ) Limited, Green Mt moves all the recycable materials recovered by its subcontractors in 41 Localities to WasteServ who in turn issues on a quarterly basis all the approved certification to ensure a guaranteed  audit trail for all material fractions received at the facility at Sant Antnin. 

Today Green Mt is the market leader for Waste Packaging recovery. Figures show that during July to Dec 2009 , the Scheme recovered 3362 tons of Packaging Waste and during the first six months of 2010 the figure recovered was 6190 tons.

GRTU is extremely grateful to the Authorities that finally the long protracted issue concerning the publication of all the legal mechanism that make the excemption from the payment of  ECO Contribution by firms that comply to the rigid conditions enforced by government for the recovery of waste packaging materials is now in place. This in practice means that firms who have registered  with a registered Compliance scheme can now benefit from tax exemption and are no longer obliged to pay twice (to the Scheme for the service rendered and to Government the EcoTax due).  With the legislation in place as of today, i.e. Legal Notice 84 of 2010,  authorised Schemes that can prove through an approved audit trail that they have recovered  70% of  all the Waste Packaging Materials  each member applying for tax exemption place on the market will for the applying scheme member obtain the certificate of Tax Exemption for the period from July1, 2009.  In 2009  alone the GRTU managed compliance Scheme Green Mt, recovered over 76% of what their  members placed on the market. Today Green Mt is therefore capable to accept  additional members and while recovering the waste materials they put on the waste stream Green Mt can also assure new members of a tax exemption certificate and liberate such enterprises their Waste Packaging Environmental obligations enforced at Law as of January 01, 2010.  Green mt has prudently refused to enroll new members untill the legal mechanism was in place as GRTU policy has consistently been not to commit beyond what our recovery programm can muster.

GRTU insists that Green Mt has ‘given life to a vision'. GRTU has along the last years enhanced its membership base and thus been able to provide its members with more hands on assistance in their environmental obligations. And Green mt is without fail a not for profit operation with final plus resources being distributed between either a fare decrease for members or  more hands on assistance in our Local Councils. Both ways the community at large stands to gain.

The publication of the Application for Exemption from Eco Contribution is a fundamental step in the right direction by Government for Producers of Waste Packaging. GRTU  is very grateful to all those who have helped  to make bring about this important breakthrough in positive fiscal mechanisms for enterprise, a principle close to heart for the GRTU leadership.  Special thanks go to the Prime Minister, Hon Dr Lawrence Gonzi, the Minister of Finance, Economy and Investment, Hon Tonio Fenech and the Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs Hon George Pullicino. GRTU greatly appreciates and is grateful for the professional and total commitment of the Permanent Secretaries, Alfred Camilleri,  Dr Christopher Ciantar and Mr Peter Portelli and of Edgar Galea Curmi  who from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Resources as well as from the Office of the Prime Minister, did all that was necessary to achieve this positive conclusion.

Being part of President Abela's delegation proved extremely successful for GRTU, we have now established strong links with the Montenegrin Association representing Small Businesses and GRTU can give solid support to all SMEs wishing to establish business relationship with Montenegrin enterprises. Montenegro is a small economy with tremendous potential and a soon to be declared EU candidate country. Investment in Montenegro now makes a lot of economic sense.