Category: Archive – 2010

On the 6^th of July, at plenary the European Parliament voted in favour of a new legal framework for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in the field of road transport and interfaces with other transport modes, approving the Council position.

This Directive is an important instrument for the coordinated implementation of ITS in Europe. We will make a huge step towards the deployment and use of interoperable and seamless ITS services while leaving Member States the freedom to decide which systems to invest in. The approval will foster a more efficient, safer and more sustainable, integrated and competitive mobility in Europe.

ITS apply information and communication technologies to various modes of transport, in order to make them more efficient while minimising the negative effects on health, nature, the economy and quality of life. The costs of traffic congestion – estimated at 1% of European gross domestic product – can be reduced by 10% through the deployment of ITS. Intelligent technology in cars and trucks is expected to help prevent more than 5,000 deaths in road accidents each year.

The Directive will support the ITS Action Plan (adopted 16 December 2008 –  http://ec.europa.eu/transport/its/road/action_plan/action_plan_en.htm) and aims to establish a framework to accelerate and coordinate the deployment and use of ITS for road transport, including the interfaces with other transport modes. The first priorities will be traffic and travel information, the eCall emergency system and intelligent truck parking.

Under this Directive the Commission has to adopt within the next seven years specifications (i.e. functional, technical, organisational or services provisions) to address the compatibility, interoperability and continuity of ITS solutions across Europe. The Commission will also establish an European ITS Advisory Group, which will bring together representatives of relevant ITS stakeholders and advise the Commission on business and technical aspects of the implementation and deployment of ITS in the EU.

Through the Eco-innovation funding scheme, the EU intends to support innovative products, services and technologies that can make a better use of our natural resources and reduce Europe's ecological footprint. With its objective being that of bridging the gap between research and the market, CIP Eco-innovation contributes to the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan.

The 2010 Eco-innovation call supports the first applications and market uptake of innovative products, processes and services. It aims at bridging the gap between Research and Development and commercialisation, removing the obstacles to the wide application of eco-innovation and creating new, as well as enlarging existing, markets with a strong emphasis on SMEs.

Applications from SMEs are particularly encouraged. Around €35 million will be available to fund new projects this year. The European Commission will fund up to 50% of the project's eligible costs. The Call for proposals 2010 is now open and its deadline for submission of applications is September 9, 2010 at 17:00 hrs.

To be eligible, projects require to:

have an innovative character and substantial positive impacts on the environment;

provide significant replication, wider application and broader marketability;

be relevant for and show clear and substantial benefits in support of Europe's environmental policy objectives;

be relevant for and show clear and substantial benefits in support of Europe's environmental policy objectives;

demonstrate a European added value and an international project dimension;

be well thought-through from a technical and project management perspective;

be cost-effective delivering higher quality through appropriate effort levels.

This call supports Eco-innovative projects in different sectors which aim at the prevention or reduction of environmental impacts or which contribute to the optimal use of resources. This initiative is addressed mainly to organisations that have developed an environmental product, service, management practice or process which has a proven track record, yet is not fully marketed due to residual risks. The Eco-innovation initiative is intended to overcome those barriers to further market penetration and turn these products and processes into Europe's future eco-innovation successes.

To download the 2010 Call documentation and application forms, the presentations held at the Ecoinnovation Days in Brussels, and for additional information kindly visit www.cipmalta.com or contact the Malta CIP National Contact Point on .

Mr Pedro Fernandez Alvarez is part of the CIP Malta National Contact Point, which was set-up under the auspices of Malta Investment Management Co. Ltd (MIMCOL).

Regulation 765/2008 which came into force last January 2010 treats various issues including:

• Requirements for accreditation bodies and the accreditation framework;
• Market Surveillance framework;
• Use of the CE mark
• Controls on products entering the EU including the prohibition of entry into the market of dangerous products.

The criteria relating to Market Surveillance and use of the CE mark as far as Products that fall within the remit of the Malta Standards Authority are effectively already in force as they are already implied from the existing CE marking legislation.  The intention of the regulation is to clarify these criteria and ensure their implementation at a European level.

Use of the CE mark:

Article 30 of Regulation 765/2008 mandates that:

1. The CE mark can only be affixed by the manufacturer or the authorized representative;

2. The CE mark can only be affixed to products that are covered by the applicable legislation ;

3. The CE mark shall not be affixed to products which are not covered by any directives listed in point 2 above;

4. The CE mark is a declaration by the manufacturer that he has complied with the requirements of the applicable Directive(s) (listed in point 2 above) ;

5.  The affixing of marks that may be mistaken for the CE mark are prohibited;

6. Other markings may not impair the visibility of the CE mark.

Market Surveillance framework

Market surveillance would now be harmonized as a result of this regulation. Amongst others the following which are part of MSA's remit as far as the Product Safety Act is concerned (in relation to products covered by harmonized EU legislation) are addressed:

1. Complaints by all users related to product safety or non-compliance with product related legislation should be followed;

2. Monitor accidents which are caused by products;

3. Market Surveillance programs are to be drawn;

4. Users are to be alerted on dangerous products;

5. Cooperation with economic operators;

6. Periodic assessment of market surveillance activities;

7. Banning of dangerous products even if the effect is not immediate;

8. Exercise the principle of proportionality;

9. Measures taken against a product are communicated to the relevant economic operator;

10. The economic operator is informed on the remedies available;

11. Give the economic operator the opportunity to be heard;

12. Allow the economic operator to take effective action;

13. Enhance exchange of information on non-compliant products between member states;

The above applies both to products intended for consumers and products intended to be used by non-consumers.

The text of the regulation 765/2008/EC may be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/single-market-goods/regulatory-policies-common-rules-for-products/new-legislative-framework/

Kindly contact Ing Joseph Micallef on 23952221 or if you require further information by 2 August 2010. 

Directive 2002/15/EC on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities

After the rejection on 16 June 2010 by EU parliament of the European Commission proposal to exclude self-employed of the directive, the directive will fully apply to all workers and the Commission will monitor the concrete application in each member State.

Following the decision of the EC to withdraw its proposal, no plans are announced by the Commission to relaunch the legislative procedure with a new proposal or a new impact assessment.

Given that the rules of the 2002/15/EC directive now apply, limiting weekly work to 48 hours for all mobile workers irrespective of their employment status, the Commission is legally bound to check the implementation of the Directive and to launch infringement procedures if it is not correctly enforced. So far the only country which has enforced the inclusion of self-employed workers is Italy.

A common report will be published during the course of this year by the EC on the implementation of Directive 2002/15 EC and Regulation 561/2006 over the period of 2007-2008.

Content of the Directive 2002/15

Directive 2002/15 establishes maximum weekly working hours for workers performing mobile road transport activities. This means not only professional drivers, but also persons performing transport activities for their own account such as builders transporting building material or equipment. The application of the directive is limited by the size of the vehicle driven, which must be above 3.5 tonnes. The scope of the directive was originally restricted to employees and "false" self-employed drivers. However it contains a sunset clause according to which from 23 March 2009 the directive shall apply to self-employed drivers (Article 2).

With the aim of "ensuring the safety of transport and the health and safety of the persons involved", the directive limits the weekly working time of mobile road transport workers to 48 hours, which may be extended to 60 hours only if, over four months, an average of 48 hours a week is not exceeded. Breaks of 30 minutes must be taken at least every 6 hours. "Working time" refers to activities such as driving, loading and unloading, technical maintenance; and some administrative work directly related to the transport operation at hand (customs, police). The directive also contains provisions related to night work.

It is important to underline that this directive is complemented by other pieces of legislation establishing fixed driving time and rest and break periods (Regulation 561/2006), and ensuring enforcement through the use of the digital tachograph (Regulation 3821/85) and through specific enforcement measures (Directive 2006/22/EC).

Recall of the failed revision procedure

• Proposal by the European Commission

Following an impact assessment and as foreseen in the original directive, the European Commission proposed in 2008 a revision of Directive 2002/15 which aimed to exclude genuine self-employed workers from the scope of the directive, whilst providing a more specific definition of bogus self-employed workers to improve enforcement.

• Procedure in the European Parliament

The file was referred to the Employment committee of the European Parliament for review in 2009. Following a first vote in the committee calling for the rejection of the EC proposal and after the EP elections of June 2009, a new rapporteur was appointed to draft a new report on the subject. Edit Bauer (Slovakia, EPP), the new rapporteur, drafted a report supporting the Commission proposal, which was however slammed by a majority in the Employment committee and transformed into another request for rejection. Due to divisions in the EPP and ALDE groups, the call for rejection was adopted during the EP's plenary session of 16 June 2010.

• Withdrawal of the proposal

Following the vote in the plenary session of the EP, the European Commission announced during the Transport Council of 24 June 2010 that it would withdraw its proposal. This means that the rules contained in Directive 2002/15, including the extension to self-employed drivers, now apply in full.

What is happening in Valletta is really regretful. Not only has Parliament usurped all the parking spaces in the central most important part of Valletta and parking has also vanished from most streets that service the commercial sector, but on top, Valletta has become one extensive construction site.

In spite of all the rules and regulations that prohibit construction works in peak tourism months, dust and construction equipment is all over the place and it seems that Ministers Austin Gatt and George Pullicino are immune to the laws of the land. It appears that Hon Mario Demarco is powerless the Valletta major is simply disregarded. Tourists are being warned by cruise liners and tour operators not to go to Valletta as Valletta has become a danger zone for pedestrians.

GRTU has already asked Hon Dr Jason Azzopardi, as the person responsible for small business owners, and Hon Dr Chris Said, as the person responsible for commercial affairs, to provide an early means of redress.

GRTU is requesting, for a start, the immediate suspension of the CVA. Why should people who drive all the way to Valletta to be serviced by the shop and all other service providers operating in the city, and who find it almost impossible to park, should pay the hefty CVA charges and all the penalties imposed by wardens.

 "GRTU has also informed Government that shop owners in Valletta are not willing to pay their trading licences till the whole paving and construction works in Valletta are completed. The loss of business is tremendous, while shops` liabilities continue to grow as sales fall and fall. Why should traders pay their trading licence when they cannot trade" asked Vince Farrugia, GRTU Director General.

GRTU is requesting the MFIN to seriously consider a package of compensation for Valletta shop and business owners. "It is absolutely not fair to suffer and be forced to dismiss their workers when workers are not to blame for these, absolutely unplanned, state of affairs. Shop owners in Valletta and GRTU as their representative are completely disregarded and all this has really become one terribly shameful event?"

"We support the paving project, we support the embellishment programmes but there is a serious and reasonable way of doing things. I beg Government to act rationally". Concluded Vince Farrugia.

 I find it absolutely incredible that people, supposedly wishing the Labour Party well, should use the media of the PL to spread so much venom and vitriol against the GRTU and its Director General, Vince Farrugia.

The grtu has been around for 62 years and we are used to political attacks from one side or another of the political field in Malta. It has always been like this, so in itself the fact that currently it is scribblers from the Labour side that are leading the attack hardly impresses us much. People who's memory reaches at least till 1995 know how silly these attacks are. The excuse these hate mongers use is that the GRTU approved the candidature of Vince Farrugia last year for the European Parliament Elections and that he chose to contest with the Nationalist Party and that he campaigned as part of the Nationalist Party candidate team. That was more than a year ago. The GRTU never abandoned its independent non-political role though it exercised its right to advise members during the EP elections, a right that the GRTU has practiced on many occasions before and will continue to do depending on what, during any particular period of time, the GRTU believes to be in the best interests of the economic sectors that GRTU represents. In 1987 our advice favoured the PN, in 1996 our advice favoured the MLP, and in 2009 it favoured indirectly the PN. We are free to decide and no one in any political camp will ever intimidate us to change. We decide either not to act or we decide to act always as an independent body and according to what we decide is best.

Irrespective to whatever else others, including the cowardly unnamed scribblers in Maltastar and other Labour oriented websites, may say, the GRTU will not be pushed either to become entrenched in the PN or for that matter in the PL – just as the PN media used to insinuate way back in 1996. Those who today are striving hard to use the Labour media to push the GRTU into an anti-LP stance will also fail as the GRTU remains staunchly independent. The Director General Vince Farrugia is an ex-PN MEP Candidate but that does not make him a politician and since he returned as full-time Director General of GRTU as from the morrow of the EP elections, Vince Farrugia has steered away from all political linkage with any political party and he acts solely as Chief Officer and policy director of the GRTU. The Labour inspired media may wish to continue don quixotically waging battles against GRTU but this is the truth and the commitment Vince Farrugia has with GRTU: he is not a candidate to any political office and he holds no position in any political organization.

As to the personal attacks on Vince Farrugia, we who work closely with him know for a fact that if there is one 100% honest person without any conflict of interest in the exercise of his duties in Malta today that person is Vince Farrugia. That is why all attacks and insinuations made against him are always unsigned as all know that all insinuations will never stand a chance when challenged in Court.

As to the story published this week in Maltastar insinuating that Vince Farrugia manipulated the removal of Sylvia Gauci from EESC so that he could take up the post himself and that GRTU has no right to represent SME employers in Brussels, it is incredible that anyone can be so vitriolic. Let me state some economic facts (Source DG Enterprise and Industry: SBA Fact Sheets) so that the readers will not be so widely misled:

1. In Malta SME's represent 99.9% of enterprises – Micro and Small being 99.2% (in Malta only 0.6% are medium and only 0.1% are large)

2. Maltese SME's employ 76.8% of all Maltese workers, while the EU average for SMEs is 67.4% ;

3. Small and Micro firms employ 51% of all Maltese workers;

4. SME's produce 58% of all the economic value added produced in Malta;

5. Micro and Small firms produce 40% of all the economic value added produced in Malta.

And may I also state some facts about GRTU:

1. GRTU is a registered Employers organization. Under the Employment and Industrial Relations Act representative organizations can register either as Employers organizations or as Trade Unions representing wage and salary earners. Employers are profit earners. None of the GRTU members are workers or employees except of their own company and all members are employers employing from one to anything up to 1500 (the largest);

2. GRTU has been recognized as an Employers organization representing the micro, small and medium enterprises since the first labour legislation was established in Malta requiring formal registration at law.

3. GRTU has steadfastly and uninterruptedly retained its legal representation of employers in the retail, trade, services and craft sector at national and EU level and represent these sectors at MCESD level (initially at MCD level) and this representation has been recognized by both the PN and the PL and by all Governments in Malta.

4. GRTU has the right as a registered and officially recognised Employers organisation to represent Maltese Employers at ILO and GRTU has referred the obstinate refusal of the Maltese Authorities to request GRTU to participate in the ILO Maltese delegation to ILO. After the personal intervention of the ILO deputy-secretary general and following the personal mediation of the then Deputy Prime  Minister and Minister for Social Policy of Malta, Hon Dr Lawrence Gonzi, it was amicably decided between Government, the Malta Employers Association and GRTU, that Government will accept to nominate to the European Economic and Social Committee a person nominated by GRTU to be one of the two Employers (Level 1) Maltese Representatives on the EESC while the Malta Government nominee from the Employers Organizations at ILO will be from the Malta Employers Association and an adviser from the Federation of Industry of Malta, although the FOI and Chamber of Commerce are not registered Employers Organisations within the framework of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act.

5. Since Malta acquired the right to nominate to EESC the Maltese Government has always nominated: one employer representative from FOI/Chamber of Commerce; one employer representative from the GRTU; one employee representative from the GWU and one employee representative from CMTU/UHM.

6. The representative at Level 3 at EESC comes from a Government decision through the National Council of Women. Level 3 at EESC represents Civil Society in General incorporating most of the organizations that in Malta are registered at law as NGO's and include self-employed groups like Farmers and Fishermen and other small operators who in their majority are unrepresented by any formal organization.

7. GRTU is registered at law as GRTU – Malta Chamber of SMEs. With more than 7000 registered members owning more than 12,000 enterprises and employing together more than 45,000 workers, it would be most unjust if the Government or the Labour Party opposition in Parliament were to deny the right of the GRTU to represent employers in the SME sector at EESC. Indeed the GRTU has successfully represented Maltese Employers at EESC since Malta acquired the right of representation, and GRTU representative Sylvia Gauci has performed excellently reaching even the level of Vice-President of the Employers Group at EESC.

8. The story that Vince Farrugia or GRTU manipulated the removal of the former Executive Secretary of MCESD to nominate Sylvia Gauci so that Vince Farrugia could take her place at EECS is sheer conjecture, speculation and a strange bit of mental crookedness. First of all anyone who knows GRTU knows that it was on the initiative of the Director General that GRTU originally nominated Sylvia Gauci and that she succeeded to reach the excellent levels she reached substantially due to the tutoring that Vince Farrugia gave Ms Gauci.

Sylvia Gauci is an extremely capable person and she deserves all that she has achieved through her high level qualities and qualifications. When the Post of executive secretary at MCESD became vacant some years back, Sylvia Gauci decided to apply. She was short listed but eventually the job became vacant again. When the post became vacant again as the short listed person the job was offered to her as she was obviously entitled to it. It was a difficult decision for her as the statute of EECS clearly excludes representatives that hold full time employment in the Public sector. Furthermore the chief operating executive secretary of a national tri-partite body like the MCESD could not possibly be a representative of one party (Employers) on EESC.

Finally I refer to Vince Farrugia's candidacy to EESC.

Is there really any person in Malta, who is not utterly and absolutely biased and venomous towards Vince Farrugia, who does not honestly recognize that the Director General of GRTU has the personal abilities, experience, qualifications and recognition in Malta and at EU level to represent SME employers at EESC?

It is incredible that Vince Farrugia's credentials as an extremely valuable person in his field of specialisation is being discredited in this manner. Vince Farrugia is a qualified Economist, specialized in Labour Economics and Industrial Relations. He is a former University Lecturer in Labour Economics and Industrial relations. He has served on enough Boards and Committees in Malta and at EU level on issues related to Business Development, Economics and Industrial relations, representing SME's and Employers, to really qualify him as a "D.O.C." personality in his field.

The GRTU is proud of Vince Farrugia and the excellent work he has done over the years and, yes, we are extremely proud that he has accepted our nomination of his candidature for the EESC post. We and all others who have worked with him know that he will make us proud.

Below are the results, in quote, of a study undergone by the European Commission on how different Member States, amongst which Malta, are fairing in areas that are of primary importance to business. While it clearly shows that in Malta SMEs contribute more to our employment, economy and constitute a larger percentage of enterprise when compared to the average, the picture, as we expected, is not at all rosy:

• The SME sector in Malta has a relatively small-scale structure: the percentage of micro enterprises is higher than the European average.
• The contribution of Maltese SMEs to the overall economy is – compared to the EU-average – to that of large firms is – in EU-terms – more important.
• In particular the contribution of micro firms to employment is in Malta (40 %) higher than the European average (30 %). As a consequence the contribution of the total SME sector to employment (77 %) is in Malta comparatively higher than in the EU on average (67 %).
• From 2002 to 2008, the number of SMEs has grown with 2 %, which is lower compared to the average EU-growth (13 %). In particular, the number of medium-sized enterprises has dropped.
• In the period 2002-2008 employment growth of Maltese SMEs has fluctuated with an overall decrease of 2 %, which is well below the EU-average growth of 12 %. Employment was reduced in particular in small and medium-sized firms.
• Value added of SMEs grew almost steadily with 19 %, which is however well below the EU average growth of 28 %.

Entrepreneurship

In Malta, the entrepreneurship rate, measured as the share of adults who have started a business that is still active or are currently taking steps to start one (5 %) is significantly below the EU average of 24 %. The participation in entrepreneurship education also return below-average results.

Think small first

While time required to comply with administrative obligations as a percentage of total SME working time returns a lower and, hence, better value for Malta as compared the EU on average, the share of SMEs stating that they encountered difficulties in the last two years with administrative regulations is above the EU-average.

Responsive Administration

With 95 % of the 20 basic services available online Malta is actually the second best in class, surpassed only by

Austria.

The start-up time is with 5-8 days in line with the EU- average of 7.7 but still outside the goal of three days formulated and agreed upon at the 2009 December meeting of the European Council. The startup costs are cheaper in Malta than in the EU on average, but there still seems to be an issues with the one-stop shop not fully operation for all firms and sectors.

Public procurement and State Aid

The proportion of total State aid devoted to SMEs (1 %), is considerably below the EU-average of (10 %).

Finance

The share of Maltese SMEs experiencing problems with access to finance in the last years is of 35 %, which is considerably higher than the EU-average of 21 %.

Planned share of Structural Funds dedicated to stimulating entrepreneurship and SMEs in 2007-2013 is below the EU-average

Skills and Innovation

Almost all of the innovation indicators return below-EU average results

The sole exception being the percentage of enterprises having received orders on-line which was in line with the EU average.

The share of SMEs using e-learning applications for training and education of employees is on a par with the EU-27 average, the share of SME staff that have tertiary education on the other hand ranks below EU-27 average.

Environment

While the share of SMEs applying simple measures to save energy (30 %) is on par with the EU-27 average (29 %), the share SMEs having comprehensive systems for energy efficiency on the other hand is comparatively lower (Malta: 3 %, EU: 4.25 %).

Internationalisation

The performance on the export side was less impressive: total revenues from export divided by total sales, on the other hand, were below than the EU-27 average (Malta: 3 %, EU: 6 %), while the percentage of SMEs that had any direct exports in 2006-2008 (30 %) is however on par with the EU- 27 average.

The Court Case issue raised by Green Mt's competitors is yet another cheap story doing the runs by those who have made it their mission to damage Green Mt. It was never the intention of GRTU to confuse anyone with the name Green Mt. Anyone who browses the internet will immediately realise how many businesses use the word Green in their titles.

When Green Mt was instituted some literature had been printed showing a . between the words Green and Mt making it appear as an email form of address. As soon as it was realised this form of printing of the name created difficulties, the Directors of Green Mt immediately ordered the destruction of all materials and Green Mt never reproduced any materials showing a dot.

When our competitors sought compensation for damages through the courts, they got their €500 worth. Green Mt's Directors decided not to bother to Appeal as the Company had much better things to do. Our great satisfaction is that in spite of the shallow hits, the Green Mt's dedicated team are delivering to the utmost satisfaction of all 41 local communities who have trusted Green Mt with the collection of their recyclable packaging waste.

 Jkompli t-Tisbih tal-Promenade f'M'Xlokk

X-xogħol fuq il-promenade ta' Marsaxlokk kwazi lest. Tkabbret u issebbħet il-bankina tan-naħa tal-bini. Ix-xogħol fuq il-promenade dam ma beda minħabba li l-Ministeru dam għaddej f'diskussjonijiet ma' l-Assocjazzjoni Bejjiegħa tal-Monti sabiex jintlaħaq ftehim fuq kif għandu jarma l-monti matul u sakemm jitlesta l-proġett ta' tisbiħ.

Saru diversi laqgħat ma' din l-Assocjazzjoni kif ukoll ma' l-Kunsill Lokali u l-istabbilimenti kummerċjali ta' din iż-żona. Kulħadd fehem l-importanza li x-xogħol fuq il-promenade għandu jsir u kulħadd kien konxju tal-fatt li minn dan il-proġett ser jibbenefika; kemm ir-resident, il-komunita kummerċjali, tal-monti u t-turiżmu nġenerali.

Minħabba t-tisbiħ tal-promenade u l-ħtieġa li wara li dan jitlesta vetturi ma jkunux jistgħu jitilgħu direttament fuq il-promenade, l-Ministeru ha hsieb jiddiskuti ma' l-Assocjazzjoni u l-Kunsill Lokali sabiex tinstab soluzzjoni vijabbli ta' kif il-monti jista' jarma ġaladarba l-proġett jitlesta.  Saru diversi proposti u kontroproposti minn naħa tal-Gvern u tal-Assocjazzjoni, kollha intiżi sabiex jibqa' jsir il-monti, jitnaqqas l-impatt fuq il-komunita' tal-madwar u jassigura li l-investiment li qed isir mill-Gvern ikun protett.

Il-Ministeru konvint li wara xhur ta' laqgħat u konsultazzjoni, u wara li semgha l-proposti kemm tal-bejjiegħa tal-monti, tal-Kunsill Lokali, kif ukoll tal-Komunita' Kummerċjali u s-Sajjieda, ser tinstab soluzzjoni fl-aħjar interess ta' kulħadd.

Dan l-arranġament ser ikun attwat fil-gimghat li gejjien wara li jitlesta wiehed mill-isbah proġetti f'XATT IS-SAJJIEDA gewwa M'XLOKK, wiehed mill-progetti fost ohrajn varati din s-sena mill-istess Ministru fejn il-GRTU tghat s-sehem taghha f'isem l-Komunita' Kummercjali.  Ser isir kull sforz sabiex ix-xogħol fuq il-pavimentar isir fl-inqas żmien possibbli.

Embellishment works in Valletta

GRTU continues incessantly with its discussions with the authorities concerned – Government, MITC and MRRA – on the projects Government is implementing in Valletta, including the Renzo Piano project, the creation of new parking facilities, the new bus terminus, re-planning of the zone outside city gate, the review of the city gate project, the embellishment and paving projects and Governments plans for the whole of the grand harbour area. GRTU is supporting these projects to ensure best implementation with the least impact on the business community and the consumers on which the community depends.

Even thought retailers are critical that they were not involved in any consultation and do feel that the timing of the implementation of the projects is not ideal, the retailers in the affected areas are still offering their full support and cooperation throughout each project. Each project lasting approximately six weeks from starting date.

While the retailers thank the authorities for finally addressing the long pending embellishment projects, they also ask that the following conditions be maintained:

• The existent width of pavement of approximately 1 metre is retained throughout the excavation stage on both sides of the road and only removed once the hording stage is reached;
• The contractor awarded the contract of works fully adheres to his contractual obligations;
• The timeline is adhered to, only subject to delays necessitated by fortuitous events;
• Acceptable noise and dust pollution levels are kept throughout the duration of the project

San Pawl l-Bahar – Zoni Pedonali ghas-Sajf

B'Avvis mill-Kunsill Lokali San Pawl il-Bahar il-GRTU tavza lill-membri taghha f'din iz-zona li bhas-snin precedenti Dawret il-Gzejjer, minn Plajjet Bognor (Moll ta' Bugibba) sa Triq il-Halel, ser tkun maghluqa ghat-traffiku matul tmiem il-gimgha minn nhar is-Sibt 10 ta' Lulju 2010 sal-Hadd 19 ta' Settembru 2010, mit-08.00 ta' fil-ghaxija  sa nofs il-lejl.

Gejna wkoll avzati li rotot alternattivi  ser ikunu indikati b'tabelli apposta bhas-snin precedenti