Category: Articles

ADVISES CAUTION ON IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN GRADUALLY AND IN THE SAFEST POSSIBLE MANNER

The SME Chamber has been calling on greater visibility and a defined recovery plan for months. Today’s announcement by Minister Clayton Bartolo is therefore greatly welcome and a sign that Malta is on the road to recovery.

The Malta Chamber of SME had emphasised that this year-round we were expecteing better planning and benefits out of a full year’s experience in dealing with the pandemic and also following the vaccine roll-out in Malta. As much as we understood the difficult and changing scenario, our country was in dire need of a plan for 2021, however tentative.

Recent positive developments on the health front are indeed encouraging and it is clear that the restrictions in place, combined with the vaccination strategy are working. It is essential that Malta does not let its guard down and therefore intensifying restrictions during the easter break was also a necessary move that we support.

The SME Chamber therefore hopes that this will be the first important step that will lead to more visibility in relation to economic recovery.

Many sacrifices have been endured by all and this includes the business community. Some businesses have been closed for months and suffered great difficulties during this period. It is therefore imperative that the steps to recovery are taken with great care and are gradual.

Malta needs to remain and be able to market itself as safe. As such, strict rules must be followed that ensure incoming tourists are not putting our country’s health care situation in danger. The SME Chamber believes that Malta now has the necessary experience and infrastructure in place to handle the gradual re-opening of the tourism season appropriately.

The SME Chamber advocates for the general public and especially the business community not to lower their guard and respect the health standards to the full because that is the only way in which strategies for recovery can be successful.

Highlights the major investment needed towards the electrification of transport

The Malta Chamber of SMEs discussed the Opposition’s Energy Policy presented in great detail by Ryan Callus, Opposition Spokesperson for Energy, Water & Sustainable Development.

SME Chamber CEO Abigail Mamo congratulated Hon Callus on the comprehensive strategy and stated that Malta needs to be courageous and aggressive with its Energy policy. ‘One of the biggest hurdles Malta faces when it comes to Energy is the real move towards an electric fleet of vehicles. As an SME Chamber we therefore welcome a specific focus on this important topic with this Strategy and the recognition of significant gaps Malta still has. The challenges the private transport sector faces in this regard are numerous, including the limitations offered by the aid available, infrastructural facilities and lack of capacity for private operators’.
Ryan Callus noted the number of further proposals put forward by the Chamber on renewables, Feed in Tariff (FIT) and grant schemes, which will be looked into and integrated within the policy once the process of public consultation is completed.

Malta Chamber of SMEs CEO Abigail Mamo described 2020 as an extraordinary year

Malta Chamber of SMEs President Paul Abela said that 2020 has been very difficult for almost all members of the SME Chamber because of all the struggles that the Covid-19 has brought about.

When addressing the SME Chamber members, President Paul Abela insisted that throughout 2020 the SME Chamber managed to strengthen its position while supporting businesses throughout these difficult times.

Paul Abela mentioned that the SME Chamber was successful in turning its efforts into tangible, essential, benefits for its members and the business community at large. Mainly the SME Chamber was behind the Wage Supplement and the Rent Subsidy scheme, apart from other sector-specific aid necessary.

Mr Abela thanked the organisation’s CEO, Ms Abigail Mamo and the SME Chamber Staff for their hard and dedicated work. He explained that the able staff of the SME Chamber has not only ensured that the effects of the pandemic are tackled for from all angles but also ensuring the full implementation of the SME Chamber work programme.

Malta Chamber of SMEs CEO Ms Abigail Mamo presented the Annual Report for 2020. Ms Mamo described 2020 as an extraordinary year. The main highlights of the annual report for 2020 are:

• Rebranding the SME Chamber, including launching a brand new website, a revamped newsletter and multiple communication channels

• The SME Chamber has launched brand new services for members. These include expert advice on Employment Law, as well as expert advice on Consumer Law

• Successfully securing the necessary schemes for Covid – Wage Supplement and Wage Subsidy

• Two successful hybrid National Conferences

• Over 30 online webinars

• Multiple campaigns to stimulate consumption at national level – Black Friday, Shop Local Campaign, Shop in Valletta and Park for Free

• Two Private-Partnerships with the Private Sector for the benefit of our members

• 6 National Studies targeting all of Malta’s business community

• Implementing and Winning more European Funds

Vice-President Finance and Administration Mr Marcel Mizzi presented an overview of the Financial reports.

The ship was buried too deep in the mud to remove

The cargo ship ‘MV Ever Given’ signalled authorities at 7:40 a.m. (local time) when it ran aground on the 23rd of March, resulting in the Suez Canal becoming blocked, delaying the arrival of several vital resources such as fuel and Cargo to several countries.

The Ship Ever Given is as long as the Empire State building ended up in its current predicament after unfortunately being caught in 40-knot winds and a sandstorm which caused low visibility and poor navigation.

Authorities attempted to re-float the ship on the 25th of March. However, to no avail, as the ship was buried too deep in the mud to remove, suggestions were also made to pull the ship out by other ships. However, the ‘MV Ever Given’s’ company stated that it would be impossible considering the ship’s wight. Excavation attempts are currently on their way to dislodge the ‘MV Ever Given’ and get the Suez Canal back up and running, considering that this is the world’s busiest waterway.

Currently, the local teams are emptying the ship of fuel and removing containers to dig the ship out from the mud easier. Reports issued by the response teams on site are stating that dislodging the vessel can take up to several days or weeks. However, several factors may either speed up or delay the process.

Reports coming in from the Suez Canal are currently stating that scores of vessels, including large container ships carrying oil, gas, and grain, are backed up because of the accident, causing the biggest traffic jam ever seen in the Suez Canal. The SCA (Suez Canal Authority) stated that it has temporarily allowed 43 ships from the Mediterranean to wait in the Great Bitter Lake, with the rest of the incoming ships forced to anchor in areas like the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Some shipping firms may be forced to reroute their vassals around the strip of Africa; however, this option is exceedingly undesirable by firms as it would increase both the cost of such a detour and the time of approximately one week.

SME CHAMBER THANKS MINISTERS DALLI AND CARUANA FOR THEIR SUPPORT TO BUSINESSES

The Malta Chamber of SMEs has during the last months and weeks been emphasizing on how essential it is to extend the basic pillars of support of the moratoria and deferral schemes. We are pleased to note that discussions with the government have yielded the desired outcomes.

The Measures announced today are a step in the right direction and are perfectly in line with the needs expressed by our members.

Businesses are in an even more fragile state than they were last year with the pandemic stretching beyond what had been foreseen and resulting in 2021 falling short from being the year businesses were expecting.

Enterprise owners were therefore very worried as they were not in a position to re-start repayments. Some members had to stay on the moratoria in light that no or little work has been registered since last year. Other members had to return to using moratoria due to the resurgence of the effects of COVID.  Most were not in a position to repay taxes due to the dire liquidity situation and the need to direct any funds to save the business.

The Bank moratoria scheme has been extended for an additional 6 months, till September, and the Tax Deferrals Scheme has restarted from where it left off last year till the end of 2021. It is however essential to still submit all returns in time, without the payment, to avoid fines.

The Malta Chamber of SMEs believes that the extension of these measures will give added comfort to businesses in the light of the lack of visibility and uncertainty ahead. The last thing businesses need at the moment is to worry how they are going to make repayments when there is no or little funds coming in.

The Malta Chamber of SMEs thanks the Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Minister Hon. Miriam Dalli, with whom we are in discussions daily, and Finance Minister Hon. Clyde Caruana for his implementation of

The Malta Chamber of SMEs has today issued a set of Call for Quotations as part of an ESF.04.159 project entitled: Leading and Delivering Dialogue Effectively, Representatively (LADDER)

Check them out:

Equipment – Mass Coomunication System – click here

Equipment – Complimentary emlpoyee setup – supply of IT equipment – click here

Equipment – Backend support  – supply and installation of server – click here

Research – system Gap Analysis – click here

The Government published the legal notice which orders the closure of non-essential shops :

The list of non-essential shops is the following:

clothing,
sportswear,
jewellery,
hand bags and leather goods,
costume jewellery and accessories,
footwear,
non-prescription eye-wear,
perfumeries,
beauty products,
haberdasheries,
soft furnishings,
souvenir shops,
discount stores,
luggage shops,
toy shops,
hobby shops,
furniture shops,
florists,
vaping shops
Including non-essential shops in shopping malls and/or elsewhere

and non-essential services:

The lists includes hairdressers, massage parlors, barbers, beauticians, spas, nail artists, nail technicians and tattooists.

Click here to download legal notice.

Kindly answer the questions below

On behalf of the Food Safety Commission (FSC), the Technical Regulations Division within the Malta Competition & Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA_TRD) would like to kindly invite you to complete the following Nutrition Labelling Survey.

According to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, ‘nutrition labelling’ is defined as information stating the:

(a) energy value; or (b) energy value and one or more of the following nutrients only:

• fat (saturates, mono-unsaturates, polyunsaturates),
• carbohydrate (sugars, polyols, starch),
• salt,
• fibre,
• protein,
• any of the vitamins or minerals listed in point 1 of Part A of Annex XIII, and present in significant amounts as defined in point 2 of Part A of Annex XIII.

Nutrition information is made available to the final consumer by means of a label, other accompanying material, or any other means including modern technology tools.

Nutrition information is provided to ensure protection of consumers’ health and interests. It allows consumers to make informed choices and to make safe use of food, with regards to health, economic, environmental, social and ethical considerations.

Please note that the scope of the Nutrition Labelling Survey is to gather information on the variety of food labelling which is available to the consumer on the Maltese market.

Food business operators may opt to remain anonymous to guarantee privacy and protection of the data provided.

Participants are kindly asked to send the completed survey to the following email address: by Friday 2^nd April 2021.

Thanking you in advance for your co-operation.

 

Nutrition Labelling Survey

 

• Number of personnel designated as food handlers:

 

• Quantity (kg) per week of product produced per year:

 

• Number of food items produced per month:

 

• Food category (more than one option may be selected):

☐ Baked goods

☐ Condiments

☐ Confectionery products

☐ Pasta

☐ Processed food

☐ Powdered foodstuffs and drinks

☐ Snack foods

☐ Other: (please specify)

 

• Is the product produced only during specific periods of the year?

(e.g., seasonal products such as prinjolata in Carnival, figolli in Easter, mince pies in Christmas, etc.)

 

• If the product is seasonal please specify Quantity (kg) per season per product:
  • Product: Quantity (kg):

 

• Is the product sold directly to the final consumer, to retail outlets (e.g., supermarkets, grocer, etc), to cold stores, or to further processors? (more than one option may be selected)

☐ Final Consumer

☐ Retail outlet

☐ Cold store

☐ Further processors

 

• Are the raw ingredients being imported, and then processed, re-packaged and re-labelled in Malta?

(e.g., cheese is imported in bulk, then it is sliced, re-packaged and re-labelled locally.)

1 year after the Covid pandemic hit Europe, uncertainty remains for many SMEs. The sanitary measures continue to weigh on turnover, thus raising concerns about investment capacity and solvency

Malta Chamber of SMEs President Mr Paul Abela participated during the meeting

In the shadow of the ongoing confinement that has been testing the limits of entrepreneurs, self-employed and employees, President Maggiar opened the SMEunited Board of Directors marking the importance of acting together. Moreover, he emphasised “European Crafts and SMEs are ready to support the vaccination campaign to ensure an open single market again as soon as possible”.

Regarding the Next Generation EU (NGEU), the Board discussed actions taken by SMEunited and its members on the design of National Recovery and Resilience Plans. They called on Member States once more to involve SME organisations in the elaboration and implementation of the Plans. Additionally, they exchanged views about measures to mitigate the increasing risk of insolvency among SMEs, mentioning the importance of Early Warning Mechanisms.

They turned to a discussion on the  actions  in the run up to the Social Summit in Porto. The Board of Directors reconfirmed SMEunited’s key priorities for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Finally, the Board of Directors also took stock of the state of play of priority files for 2021. Some of the topics discussed were Better Regulation, Sustainable Corporate Governance, Access to Data, Sustainable Finance Strategy, Minimum Wages, Skills and Green Deal.