Category: Archive – 2010

Il-Ministeru ghar-Risorzi u Affarijiet Rurali s-sena l-oħra beda x-xogħol fuq il-promenade ta' Marsaxlokk billi tkabbret u issebbħet il-bankina tan-naħa tal-bini. Ix-xogħol fuq il-promenade pero ma kienx għadu beda minħabba li l-Ministeru kien għadu għaddej f'diskussjonijiet ma' l-Assocjazzjoni Bejjiegħa tal-Monti sabiex jintlaħaq ftehim fuq kif għandu jarma l-monti wara li jitlesta il-proġett ta' tisbiħ.

 

Saru diversi laqgħat ma' din l-Assocjazzjoni, ma' l-Kunsill Lokali, kif ukoll mal-GRTU li tirrapprezenta` l-istabbilimenti kummerċjali ta' din iż-żona.  Kulħadd fehem l-importanza li x-xogħol fuq il-promenade għandu jsir u kulħadd huwa konxju tal-fatt li minn dan il-proġett ser jibbenefika kulħadd; kemm ir-residenti, 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. Il-Ministeru ddiskuta 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. L-unika proposta fattibbli għal kulħadd hija dik li l-monti jibqa' jarma eżattament fejn qiegħed illum, f'żewġ ringieli tul il-promenade kollu, fil-ħinijiet kif stabbiliti skond l-Atti li jirregola l-monti u l-ftehim mall-Kunsilli Lokali.  Id-differenza li ser ikun hemm hija li r-ringiela ta' stalls li jarmaw ma' n-naħa tal-baħar mhux ser tkun tista tarma bil-vettura wara l-istall.  Minflok, ser jiġi pprovdut parkeġġ taħt il-bankina biex din il-vettura ma tkunx il-bogħod.

Dan l-arrangament iwassal biex:

il-vetturi ta' kull stall ikunu viċin ta' fejn jintrama l-istall;

l-bejjiegħa ikunu jistgħu jidħlu u joħorġu mill-parkeġġ fi x'ħin ikun hemm bżonn mingħajr ma joqgħodu jaqilgħu lil ta' ħdejhom jew jistennew lil xi bejjiegħa oħra jżarmaw;

ikun hemm dejjem u f'kull ħin passaġġ għall-vetturi ta' emerġenza tul ix-xatt kollu;

l-istalls kollha jkunu bejn wieħed u ieħor fl-istess pożizzjoni fejn huma indikati llum mingħajr ma jiċċaqalqu (jew kif jiġi miftiehem bejniethom u/jew ma' l-Assoċjazzjon tal-monti);

il-promenade ma jkunx hemm bżonn li tidjieq iżda tkun tista' tissebbaħ biex takkomoda l-istalls kollha tal-monti li llum jarmaw fuqha flimkien ma' l-ħafna Maltin u turisti li jżuru dan il-post pittoresk.

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

Dan l-arranġament ser ikun attwat wara li jitlesta il-proġett.  Sakemm isir ix-xogħol fuq il-promenade u tinbena mill-ġdid it-triq, bi qbil ma' l-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Bejjiegha tal-Monti, bħala arranġament temporanju, l-monti se jiċċaqlaq għaż-żona tal-Magħluq sabiex b'hekk ikun akkomodat kulħadd, f'dan il-perijodu sakemm isiru x-xogħlijiet fuq il-promenade.  ser isir kull sforz sabiex ix-xogħol meħtieġ isir fl-inqas żmien possibbli.

Carmen

The visit of the business delegation to the Gulf States of Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar was a real success, even though it has been only seven months since the last trade mission lead by president George Abela to Dubai and Qatar.

 

GRTU participated in these missions and ensured that a good evaluation is done of the prospects for Maltese traders and investors from the strengthening of trade and investment relations with these super rich states. "Trading with these countries is a new concept for most Maltese businessmen. As I had reason to explain to the senior executives and business owners I addressed in these countries, Malta is today practically too small for the richness and abundance of entrepreneurial abilities that the Maltese business community posses. This is true especially for family businesses who have reached third generations. We need to look elsewhere. These are the lands of opportunity. The relationship that the Malta Government enjoy with the owners and government leaders in these states is exceptional. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was welcomed everywhere and listened to with the greatest respect and most of the requests he made on behalf of the Maltese economic operators were immediately met. It's up to all of us now to seek how best to transform this good will and interest by the authorities in these states to help Maltese entrepreneurs who want to seek joint-ventures or trade partnerships with leading entrepreneurs from these countries to act without delay. The businessmen who participated in these missions can vouchsafe for the eagerness of the business community in all four states visited to work with Maltese business. It's not a question of sending emails and talking on the phone. We must be there. We are willing to make the contacts and Malta Enterprise through their office in Dubai will help with the links. Hopefully by next year we will also have a direct air link that will further ease the barriers of doing business with the gulf states." Says Vince Farrugia.

"Malta enterprise is doing an excellent job in subsidizing these trade missions. I'm in no doubt that the Maltese economy will pick up steadily as from next year as more of the planned infrastructural projects in many sectors will reach implementation stage, but the spreading and feeding in of money in the economy through major construction and civil engineering projects is not enough. We need fresh money that can only come through increased inward flows of investment, increased tourism flows and increased exports and trading and expansion of our transhipment, financial services and electronic based services. These trade missions boost the possibilities for expansion in these important economic areas. But its up to all of us to do our part. Moaning will not get us anywhere. The opportunities are there and we must work on them. There was a time when we were left on our own while others had the opportunity to seek new business opportunities with the support of government initiative. Now these initiatives are open to all of us. We are here to guide all those who want to act" concludes Vince Farrugia as he sums up to GRTU Council his report on the Gulf Trade and Investment Mission.

Abigail Mamo –

Re: The EC Declaration of Conformity as per the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2004/108/EC of the European Parliament and Council on the approximation of laws of the Member States relating to Electrical Appliances.

 

The above mentioned directives require that all electrical equipment falling under this category carries the CE marking. Equipment falling under one or more of these directives includes, but is not limited to electrical household appliances incorporating electrical motors and/or directly connected to the electrical mains power supply. Such equipment includes electric fans, several kitchen appliances, computers and other household items, amongst others. The CE mark is required to be affixed to the product after appropriate tests are carried out and a declaration of conformity is issued.

Thus, all electrical household appliances imported into, or manufactured in the European Union, including Malta, are required to have the CE marking affixed to it. 

Current practice in Member States is that manufacturers retain the responsibility for certifying the conformity of their equipment to the relevant essential requirements of the Directives mentioned above.

It is essential therefore, that before issuing an EC declaration of conformity, the manufacturer or his authorized representative established in the Community provides a technical construction file. It is not, however, essential that all documentation be permanently available in a material manner, but it must be made available on demand.

We also take this opportunity to remind you of the legal requirement that all electrical appliances have to be sold to clients with the three-pin plug or suitable adaptor which is fitted to the appliance before the product is sold to consumers. These requirements are detailed in Legal Notice 181 of 2004, Electrical Accessories Regulations.

Should you have any queries, or require further information on the matter, please contact the undersigned on telephone number 23952310 or e-mail to .

We would like to draw your attention to the information campaign launched by Mattel concerning old 'Little People' toys manufactured by Fisher Price between 1965 and 1991.

 

The "Little People" figures, which are subject to this campaign were manufactured before 1991 and have a circular base approximately 2 cm in diameter. The figures include a variety of characters, such as a little girl, a train conductor, a dog and a father. Please note that this campaign does not concern 'Little People' toys manufactured after 1991 which are of sizes (3 cm in diameter) that cannot be taken into the throat of a young child.

Following a recent death of a 10-month-old child in Canada resulting from the use of one of the older 'Little People' figures, Mattel is advising consumers that old 'Little People' toys manufactured before 1991 should be immediately discarded.

It is believed that these products may still be used in play in households and they may be sold on the EU market in some second-hand retail shops (including internet retailers and resellers). For more information on this campaign and in particular how to distinguish old 'Little People' toys manufactured before 1991 from the new ones manufactured after 1991, please see these websites: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2010/2010_47-eng.php

Should your company retail, import or distribute the product in question, you are requested to notify Abigail Mamo without delays, so necessary action is taken as soon as possible. If you are aware of any person or company who is retailing, importing or distributing this product, kindly also notify.

Abigail Mamo-

The decision of the EU Commission to accept the long standing pressure of EuroCommerce, the EU federation of which GRTU is an active member of behalf of Maltese traders and retailers, to give a representation to Euro Commerce on the EU SEPA Council is a great victory for all enterprises in the commerce sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commerce represent the largest economic sector in the EU and the SEPA Council with its function to promote the realisation of an integrated euro retail payments market by ensuring proper stakeholder involvement at high level and by fostering consensus on the next steps towards the realisation of SEPA, is essential for all traders and retailers.

 Green MT started an educational programme on RTK Radio last Wednesday. This Programme airs  every Wednesday at 11.05am and it is indeed very interesting for all the public to learn more about the importance of Waste Separation.

 

This week Green MT met the Gozo Business Chamber, with quite an amount of companies which were very interested to become conformed to the Environmental laws and the MEPA environmental obligations. They all wanted to learn how to dispose carefully of their recyclable waste.

Mtarfa Local Council signed the agreement with Green MT yesterday Thursday 8^th April. Green MT in collaboration with the Local Council, can help in achieving a  cleaner community. Green MT will provide the Council with more separation bins, to better help the council in reaching targets of Recyclable waste.

Marcella Agius –

Abigail

In an exercise carried out amongst its members GRTU presented the authorities with the burdens they still encounter at customs.

 

It was widely reported that since Malta's entry in the EU burdens have been heavily diminished and our frequent meetings with customs have helped in making the system less bureaucratic. GRTU represents not only importers but also cargo hauliers so we meet with customs very frequently to discuss any issues they feel are bureaucratic. Some problems however are still present when it comes to imports outside the EU.

Overtime Charges

Customs work till 13.00 hrs after which importers are made to sign a paper and customs would charge them for over time

Free port work till 16.00 hrs after which overtime is also charged

For urgent releases needed on Saturday importers are charged overtime as well

Clearance of imports outside EU

Some instances were reported that when groupage is at Hal Far depot and customs officials are not always available and they have to wait until they show up

Jewellers: unlike any other good all non-EU imports coming through UPS have to be cleared by the consul. This can be done by either the consul coming to clear it himself of the good is sealed and has to be taken by the importer to the consul for clearance.

CITES (Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species)

Opens only 2 days a week 10.00 – 12.00

Applies to all non-EU imports of leather, imitation jewellery, live animals and plants, food products, etc…

Limit in opening hours and need to physically go there sometimes creates a huge delay in release of product.

IT system

It has been reported that computers crash very often sometimes causing after hours delay and overtime is charged. Cashier system also crashes very frequently.

Stripping

Acknowledge reduction but still frequent and costly for imports outside the EU

Cost: Average 3 hauliers for half day

Frequency: Should be a ballot system. Out of 10 imports – 2/3 stripped

Consequences: Damaged goods, stolen items

A system exists where customs officials go to premises were goods are unloaded and inspection is carried out there. Even though this takes place during office hours they still charge overtime

We urge member to contact GRTU if they would like to add to/clarify any of the above.

During a meeting held last Tuesday between The Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs, WasteServ Malta Limited, and GRTU Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, no agreement was reached on the implementation date of the landfill fees as issued last October through a Government Legal Notice.

 

After a sporadic protest by waste carriers at the Zwejra landfill on April 01, the date which was intended for implementation of the €20.00 per tonne fee, a meeting was held on the same day during which it was agreed that WasteServ will continue to shoulder the cost of landfilling fees in excess of €0.77 per tonne excluding VAT, thus €19.23 per tonne.

Whilst placing all cards on the table GRTU outlined to the responsible Ministry and WasteServ, that a holistic approach needs to be taken to effect this reform. Currently waste carriers are not equipped with any built in weighing facility and as such cannot at present compute an individual bill to their customers. It was also outlined that currently the Waste Carriers are not getting paid on time and the delays are well over five months and in some cases go beyond a calendar year.

GRTU was informed by WasteServ Chairman, Mr Ben Farrugia, that the Malta Hotels and Restuarants Association has accepted the said landfill increases. GRTU outlined that this was cardinal as now Waste carriers would bill their clients and request payment on time.

GRTU outlined that other then the builtin weighing mechanism, Euro III vehicles had to be exempt from First Registration tax and current Euro II vehicle garaged would pay a nominal percentage only of the current registration tax.

Waste serv outlined a proposal which could be a the starting point for an agreement, however it was pointed out by GRTU that since now Government is talking on total sustainability, this means the private sector had also a full right to know how these funds are to be spent. 

Discussions will continue in the coming days with a view to concluding an agreement beneficial to both Government and the Waste Carriers Sector.

The Meeting was attended by GRTU President Paul Abela, Joe Attard and Marcella Agius, and two representatives namely  and Mrs  M. Gearthy and Mr Ray Attard.

 GRTU has this week written to Transport Malta saying that GRTU Malta Chamber of SMEs is the national organization that holds strong presence and an excellent working relationship in most of the Localities in Malta. Thanks to the Ministry for Investment Transport and Communication, this ongoing work is proving highly fruitful for business in the area, residents and the locality itself.

 

GRTU has also an excellent relationship with the Association of Local Councils with which GRTU is increasingly being given the opportunity to collaborate on projects. 

This is no easy job as frequently these create several inconveniences such as road closures, resulting in a decline in business in the effected area.

Together with the Local Councils, GRTU does its utmost to facilitate better traffic management, project building and action that enhances the viability of private services in the Community.

For this reason GRTU asked for the intervention of Transport Malta so that the above works taking place in Malta will be mirrored in Gozo by our representative Mr Michael Galea who is also a GRTU Executive Council Member.

Carmen