Category: Archive – 2009

Nearly every business bears or creates costs associated with the environment – from energy use, vehicle use or disposal of waste – many of which can be reduced profitably.  Many businesses also benefit or bear costs from environment policy. A large part of the environment policy affecting businesses is shaped in the European Union.  The European Commissioner for the Environment and his team want to shape your laws and support schemes so that they benefit your business and the local and global environment at the same time.

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To do this successfully, we need feedback from business about the ways in which you can benefit from changes to policy. This consultation, which is aimed at all businesses, is designed to gather some of that feedback.  This covers topics about input efficiency, energy use, your sources of information and motivation to change, effectiveness of policy, administrative costs from environment-related policy, liabilities and sales of green products. The answers will be used by the Commission and national governments to inform the design and revision of policy – especially policies to support business in their efforts to become more efficient and reduce their harm to the environment. The shape of these policies, for example how funds are best allocated through support schemes, will be influenced by the information provided.

To participate in this consultation a business must become member of the European Business Test Panel

What is the EBTP?

The European Business Test Panel (EBTP) is a unique tool allowing the European Commission to obtain direct feedback from businesses on Commission legislative proposals or initiatives likely to have an impact on businesses. The EBTP is composed of around 3.600 companies of different sizes and sectors located in all EU Member States. Companies selected as EBTP members reply to online questionnaires sent to them by the European Commission on a regular basis. Compared to other forms of consultation, the EBTP aims at being fully representative and focuses on consulting businesses throughout Europe.

The EBTP is entirely Internet based, using the on-line consultation tools developed under the Interactive Policy Making (IPM) initiative. This survey mechanism allows the consultation process to be fast and efficient, and the results of consultations can be made available to both participants and policy makers more quickly.

If you want to register as a member, all you have to do is to contact MEUSAC on 22003300 and provide basic information on your business to the Commission by filling in a registration form. Of course, this information will be dealt with strictly confidentially

What is roaming?

Whenever you travel abroad and make or receive a mobile phone call, send text messages (SMS – Short Message Services) or download data (for electronic mails, surfing the web, photos, music, films) from the internet using a mobile connection, you are roaming. You are roaming on a mobile network of a foreign network operator because your home provider does not provide the service in the country in which you are travelling. For providing this service, the foreign network operator will charge your home operator. This charge, known as the wholesale charge, is passed on to you at a different rate, sometimes at a surprisingly high level for the consumer.

End of 'roaming rip-off': cost of texting, calling, surfing the web abroad to plummet from today thanks to EU action

As of today, sending a text message from abroad in the EU costs a maximum €0.11, almost three times cheaper than the previous EU average of €0.28 (excl. VAT). To make a roamed call in another EU country must not cost more than €0.43 per minute, and no more than €0.19 to receive a call. From today, outgoing roaming calls will be charged by the second, after the first 30 seconds, rather than by the minute, and incoming calls will be charged by the second from the first second. Holidaymakers and business travellers can also surf the web, download movies or send photos with their mobile without fear of ‘bill shocks' while roaming thanks to a wholesale cap of € 1 per megabyte (MB) downloaded. All these measures are expected to cut roaming charges for EU consumers by a further 60% and increase mobile phone use. The EU first acted on roaming in 2007 reducing the cost of voice roaming calls by 70%.

"From today, all Europeans making calls or sending texts with their mobiles can experience the EU's single market without borders. The roaming-rip off is now coming to an end thanks to the determined action of the European Commission, the European Parliament and all 27 EU Member States," said EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding. "I expect the new EU roaming rules to make it much cheaper to surf the web on your mobile while abroad in the EU. For now, EU rules are limited to reducing inter-operator charges. I call on the mobile industry to pass these savings on to data roaming customers swiftly. The Commission and national regulators will monitor data roaming charges very carefully and assess next year whether the roaming market is finally becoming competitive."

The new EU roaming rules which are applicable as of today:

Limit the consumer price for sending a text message while abroad to €0.11 (excl. VAT), compared to a current average €0.28.

Further reduce prices for mobile roaming calls. As of today, caps are €0.43 for calls made and €0.19 for calls received abroad, falling to €0.39 and €0.15 on 1 July 2010 and to €0.35 and €0.11 on 1 July 2011 (prices per minute, excl. VAT). Until yesterday, the maximum price was €0.46 for calls made and €0.22 for calls received abroad. In summer 2005, before EU action, a roamed call in the EU could cost around €1.70 per minute for a German roaming in Austria, €1.47 for a Briton roaming in Italy and €2.50 for a Belgian calling from Cyprus (MEMO/05/247).

Introduce per-second billing after 30 seconds for roamed calls made and from the first second for calls received abroad. Until now, consumers paid up to 24% more than the time actually used making or receiving calls.

Reduce the cost of surfing the web and downloading movies or video programs with a mobile phone while abroad with a new wholesale cap of €1 per MB downloaded, compared to an average wholesale price of € 1.68 per MB, with peaks in Ireland  (€6.82), Greece (€5.30) and Estonia (€5.10). The wholesale cap for downloading will fall during the next two years: to €0.80 in 2010 and €0.50 in 2011. Consumers will be informed on what they will pay for data services, as the new rules require mobile operators to provide (via an SMS or pop-up window) free, country-specific information on roaming charges to their customers when they enter another Member State and use data services.

The new rules will also protect consumers from "bill shocks" by introducing a cut-off mechanism once the bill reaches €50, unless they choose another cut-off limit (recently, a German downloading a TV programme while roaming in France faced a bill of €46,000). Operators have until March 2010 to put this cut-off limit in place.

The new roaming rules, which build on the first EU Roaming Regulation (IP/07/870), will apply until summer 2012. The European Parliament and Council have asked the Commission to report on the new rules' functioning by summer 2010. The Commission could then propose further rules, if required, by the end of June 2011.

Background:
The 2007 EU Roaming Regulation, introduced "Euro tariff" caps for calls made and received while travelling in the EU. As a result, Euro tariff roaming consumers saved on average 70% compared to 2005, before the EU acted. In 2008, after reviewing the roaming rules, the Commission proposed extending them for 3 more years, with new rules for text messages and data services. The European Parliament approved, by a large majority, the new EU roaming rules in April 2009, followed by the Council of EU Telecoms Ministers on 8 June. Since the present Commission took office in 2004, mobile phone use has grown from 84.6% to 119% of the total EU population.

For an overview of roaming tariffs by EU country, see the EU Roaming Website:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/roaming/index_en.htm until March 2010 to put the cut-off mechanism in place. Source: European Commission representation in Malta

Maltese businesses are disappointed that in the midst of an economic recession, Malta Financial Services Authority was allowed to increase its company registration fees. The increase came about through legal notice 354 of 2008. For small companies with an authorised share capital of up to Euro 1500, the increase is of 150%. For a company with an authorised share capital of Euro 115,000, the fee is now Euro 880, an increase of 270%. The higher the amount of share capital the greater is the increase. This clearly discourages businesses from increasing share capital. Existing companies have to pay this increase or incur penalties.

The World Economic Forum report on Competitiveness indicates in its Malta report that the greatest obstacle for business in Malta is inefficient government bureaucracy. The burden of government regulation also negatively affects Malta's competitiveness. Why certain authorities are allowed to increase their fees by such unreasonable amounts is beyond comprehension. One wonders how much of this increase will go towards reducing Malta's overall deficit. This increase is clearly another sign of rubbing salt into the wounds of business people. Authorities should find ways and means of introducing better and more efficient regulation by reducing bureaucracy rather than increasing fees without any real benefits for Maltese businesses.

GRTU knows with regret that MFSA which is the Public Regulator authorised at law to safeguard the business community and the consumer from the abuses of the financial institution is now itself further over burdening enterprises rather than further relieving the excessive burdens already being suffered by Enterprises striving to compete under difficult current market situation.

Local Companies can now apply for the Training Aid Framework (TAF) to receive a part-reimbursement of costs for training that provides knowledge, skills and competences that increase the adaptability of one or more employees. The TAF is a scheme partly funded through the European Social Fund (ESF).

Training is classified in two: General Training and Specific Training. General Training is training involving tuition which is not applicable only or principally to the employee's present or future position in the company, but which provides qualifications that are largely transferable to other companies or fields of work. Specific Training involves tuition directly and principally applicable to the employee's present or future position in the company and providing qualifications which are not, or are only to a limited extent, transferable to other firms or fields of work

The training eligible can be organised in-house or be out-sourced in Malta or overseas, distance learning and can comprises all the training that is relevant to an enterprise or the self employed. All employers with one or more employees, or self employed persons whose self employment is their primary employment can apply for this aid, except for those sectors which have been allocated funds under other programmes for this particular objective such as agriculture and fisheries.

The eligible costs that may be reimbursed under TAF are the following:

• Trainers' fees (and/or other costs) – 100%
• Travel Expenses (excluding accommodation) – 100%
• Cost of Consultancy (Training Needs Analysis) with regards to the training project capped at 2500- 50%
• The personnel costs relating to the employee during which the trainees actually participate in the training, (after deduction of any productive hours)- 100%

The training can range from one hour long to several months provided that it is successfully completed before the end of the scheme in June 2013. Each trainee can be awarded a maximum grant of € 4,000 per annum. This ceiling increases to € 10,000 where the training programme leads to an MQC (EQF) level 5 or higher. Each company may receive up to a total grant of € 250,000 per year. For Further information regarding this scheme please visit http://www.etc.gov.mt/site/page.aspx?pageid=2280

On 17 June 2009 the European Commission published the Communication "A sustainable future for transport: Towards an integrated, technology-led and user friendly system" defining a vision for the future of transport and mobility until 2020, as a follow-up to the White Paper of 2001 (setting an agenda for transport policy throughout 2010 and which was updated in 2006).

The possibility is given to respond to this communication by 30 September 2009. The purpose of this Communication on the Future of Transport is to stimulate further debate that aims at identifying concrete policy proposals for the Commission's next Transport White Paper scheduled for 2010.

The Communication does not include a detailed programme of policy measures, but rather tries to identify a strategic vision for the future of transport. The main conclusions of the Communication:

European transport policy has helped to provide an efficient mobility system to EU people and businesses. It now has the task of ensuring that this mobility can be sustained in the future.

       Environmental sustainability, ageing, migration, fossil fuel scarcity, urbanisation and globalisation are key tendencies in our society and will pose challenges to our system of mobility.

Accelerating the introduction of innovative technologies and the full integration of the different transport modes is crucial to meeting the challenges such as environmental sustainability, ageing, fossil fuel scarcity, etc.

It is important to advance the external projection of European Transport Policy, as a way to ensure further integration with the neighbouring countries and the promotion of Europe's economic and environmental interests in the global context.

The full text can be obtainable from Abigail Mamo by calling 21 232 881/3 or .

This report highlights the achievements made in 2008 that prepare for change related to resource-efficiency and the low-carbon economy. It identifies major policy initiatives underway and the challenges that will require greater challenges in the future. The report mainly underlines the fact that Environment policy has left the sidelines and is now one of the most important policy issues. Environment policy considerations increasingly spill over into transport, energy, agricultural, cohesion, industrial and research and development policies. Energy policy aims, among others, to move the EU towards a low-carbon economy. Issues of sustainable development underpin decisions on the use of structural funds.

The review also speaks about the recent economic crises and how the EU can grasp this opportunity to green the economy, the challenges of climate change, environmental disasters, protecting biodiversity, air pollution and recycling among other things.

Source: MEUSAC Environment Committee

The Waste Framework Directive establishes a framework for the management of waste across the European Community. It also defines certain terms, such as 'waste', 'recovery' and 'disposal', to ensure that a uniform approach is taken across the EU.  The revised Waste Framework Directive was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 19 November 2008. The revised Directive sets the basic concepts and definitions related to waste management and lays down waste management principles such as the "polluter pays principle" or the "waste hierarchy". The Directive is aimed at encoring re-use and recycling of waste as well as at simplifying legislation. By promoting the use of waste as a secondary resource, the new directive is intended to reduce the landfill of waste as well as potent greenhouse gases arising from such landfill sites.

According to this Directive, Member States must design and implement waste prevention programmes, while the Commission is set to report periodically on progress concerning waste prevention. Should you have any comments on this directive kindly contact Abigail Mamo @ GRTU. Source: MEUSAC Environment Committee.

The Council adopted a regulation on the placing on the market and use of feed, following a first-reading agreement with the European Parliament. The main objective of the new regulation is to boost innovation within the feed industry and to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU livestock sector while maintaining a high level of protection for animals and European citizens. The Council adopted conclusions on areas with natural handicaps and on the quality of agricultural products.  The Council also reached political agreement on a proposed regulation on the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter or killing. The Council had a policy debate on the reform of the fisheries control policy.

Green MT is the only Waste Packaging recovery Scheme in Malta that will entitle you to total exemption from Eco Contribution.

Recently we have revised our prices to meet the threshold issued by Government to be exempt from Eco Contribution. Any statement made by any other Scheme is just misleading. If you are a member in any Scheme that today collects 50% on behalf of its members is not and will never be exempt from Eco Contribution.

Green MT is the only Scheme that provides a full audit trail of the Packaging Waste Fractions collected and how they are separated and eventually baled and exported through the right authorities.  Any other Scheme stating otherwise is definitely not aware of what is happening at the higher echelons.  Other Schemes continue to alienate their own members accordingly.

Green MT will kick off a pilot project on July 01, 2009 based on the Local Authorities exempting fourteen companies from the payment of Eco Contribution since they are members of an Authorized Scheme that will collect 70% of the Waste Packaging placed on the market by these 14 member companies. We are proud that we will shortly be collecting waste packaging from at least 22 Local Councils. Green MT is at the forefront of a green revolution within each and every community, and Green Mt Limited assures one and all that its function is real and not a paperwork exercise in any manner.

It is truly not acceptable that those who run other Schemes and think they know it all, should at least be in line with current developments. At least they should state the truth. Green Mt Limited outlines to one and all that exemption from Eco Contribution will only be real if companies and traders are members of a Scheme that collects 70% of what one places in the market. Only these fourteen companies will at present be exempt with the eventual full possibility of a full exemption on January 01, 2010 for those companies that are prospective members of Green MT Limited which will collect 70% of waste packaging placed on the market by its members.  Also to note is that even with respect to Eco Contribution refunds, a Scheme that has collected 50% of what its members place on the market will only be eligible for 60% Eco Contribution refund.

The only other Authorized Waste Packaging Scheme continues to deny its own members from the truth. It continues to drive a message which deviates totally from the truth. "In these times of economic hardships the business community needs firstly to know the truth and nothing but the truth…" states Joe Attard, CEO of Green MT Limited. 

To be aware of the truth and benefits emanating from Green MT, you are to contact Joe Attard on 99041462 or Marcella Zahra on 79002263 or 21232881/3.