Category: Press Releases

The Malta Chamber of SMEs notes with satisfaction the massive turnout for participation in the Invitation to Bid (ITB) issued by the Energy Ministry via the REWS (Regulator for Energy and Water Services) for the award of financial support for electricity from renewable energy. The participants were bidding for the feed-in tariff rate that Government will give them when they feed the power they generate into the national electricity grid. The proposed projects are all privately owned solar farms that they are planning to build and finance.

Over subscription in this case is a watershed moment for Malta. Malta has really turned a new page in renewable energy production. Clearly, there is investment appetite as well as confidence from Private Enterprise in the future of the country. It is also evidence of the good work being done by the Energy Ministry as well as encouragement for the Ministry to work together with stakeholders such as the Malta Chamber of SMEs to achieve even more.

Of a total of 50MW power generation through the proposed projects, only 19MW will materialize due to capping imposed on the capacity that can be installed. We strongly urge Government to raise the limits imposed so that the remaining projects are green-lit as soon as possible. It would be a pity if these investors lose interest; keeping up the momentum will likely attract new investors which will eventually result in putting Malta on the European renewable energy map. Encouraging more investment, such as this, one will enable the nation to reach its renewable energy targets. Funds currently being spent abroad to purchase energy can instead be diverted to the local economy, Industry and Employers.

The Malta Chamber of SMEs acknowledges, and is proud of the success achieved in recycling of municipal waste including WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) as reported by Wasteserv in the local media. Wasteserv has been positively evolving and implementing forward looking changes that have resulted in achieving better waste management results.

WEEE Malta, a subsidiary company of the Chamber of SMEs is a not-for-profit company that handles recycling on behalf of its members, mainly importers of electrical and electronic goods. We are proud to have been a significant part of this success. It has involved investment, diligent work and a lot of effort.

WEEE Malta Ltd issues fees to its members, importers of electrical products, according to the volume of goods they place on the market. When products they place on the market reach their end of life and are discarded, this scheme ensures that funds will be available to facilitate the eventual recycling of the product. All this is based on the polluter pays principle, an principle spearheaded by the European Union. These costs are ultimately passed on to the consumer or end user who is ultimately the polluter.

In 2023 (up to end November), WEEE Malta has shipped 61 containers for recycling in Italy and recycled a total of 5108 tons of WEEE material. All costs were covered by the fees paid by its members. Most of the material we collect is processed and recycled locally by local recycling businesses. There are no local facilities for certain categories such as refrigeration equipment and this material needs to be shipped abroad and treated as hazardous waste as per EU rules, and at a much higher cost.

The company constantly strives to handle the timely recycling of all WEEE material collected in public bring-in sites as well as material collected through the company’s take back schemes operated by its members. To date, the company has been up to date in handling all the volume of material collected by Wasteserv and its own collection occurs within 60 days from collection.

In spite of this success which we are very proud of, still, there are issues that have been pending for years and need to be tackled.  We believe that together with Government and the Local Councils, companies who have invested in operating in the waste sector can solve most of these issues and aspire to reach even higher targets.

 18 businesses awarded the Gold Award

On Friday evening 18 local businesses received the highest honours in the local business scene during the 2nd edition of the Malta Business Awards which took place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.

The Malta Business Awards were organized by the Malta Chamber of SMEs in partnership with Malta Enterprise to recognize the work of Maltese businesses, honouring some of the best businesses in various prestigious categories including the SME of the Year, Local Cultural Contributor, Gozo Business of the Year and the highest honour, the President’s Choice Award.

With a record of over 400 nominations in the different categories presented, 90 were shortlisted by independent judges during the first round, during the second phase of adjudication, each shortlisted nomination participated in a one-to-one interview with the adjudication committee and 54 finalists were selected, including the Gold, Silver and bronze award winner.

The event was attended by over 550 people representing local businesses and major stakeholders in the industry.

The winners of the first edition of the Malta Business Awards are:

1. Social Impact Award- supported by Academy of Givers 

Gold – Fifteen37 Cafe

Silver – 3 Pandas Marketing Solutions

Bronze – Izra Ltd.

 

2. Leader in Inclusivity Award – supported by the Ministry for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights

Gold – MZ Academy Ltd.

Silver – Eden Leisure Group

Bronze – Premier Restaurants Malta Ltd.

 

3. Customer Service Excellence Award – supported by the Malta International Airport

Gold – Greens Supermarket Ltd.

Silver – Carisma Collections

Bronze – The Phoenicia Malta

 

4. Local Cultural Contributor – supported by the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and the Local Government

Gold – Carisma Collections

Silver – Mvintage 

Bronze – RECOOP The Restoration and Conservation Coop Ltd

 

5. Leader in Mental Health Wellness Award  – supported by Ministry for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children’s Rights)

Gold  – Willingness Team

Silver – Growth Gurus

Bronze – Mekanika Ltd.

 

6. Best waste Management Strategy – supported by Wasteserv

Gold  – GSD Marketing Ltd. 

Silver – Malta Freeport Terminals Ltd.

Bronze – SORGI (AHA) Objects Ltd.

 

7. Green Transport Initiative – supported by the Foundation for Transport

Gold – Melita Ltd. 

Silver – Bolt Support Services MT

Bronze – Greenroads Ltd

 

8. Leader in Sustainable Energy & Water Initiatives  – supported by the Energy & Water Agency

Gold / Winner – Tulliera Farm Deli

Silver – Bio Aqua Garden Ltd.

Bronze – Luxury Living Technologies Ltd.

 

9. Innovative Sustainable Business Award – supported by APS Bank plc

Gold  – The Malta Florist

Silver – Invent 3D

Bronze –Aqua Biotech Group

 

10. Project Green Award – supported by Project Green

Gold  – Ecostack Innovations Limited

Silver – Garland

Bronze – Doric Studio / Living Walls

 

11. Start-Up Business of the Year – supported by Trust Payments

Gold – Greenroads Limited

Silver – Bio Aqua Garden Ltd.

Bronze – Dronamics Eurpope Airlines Ltd.

 

12. Leader in Quality Tourism – supported by the Malta Tourism Authority

Gold – AX HOTELS

Silver – HOPE FERTILITY & IVF MALTA

Bronze – Iniala Harbour House

 

13. Innovative Digital Solution – supported by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority

Gold – PathKeeper Surgical Ltd.

Silver – Avantech Ltd.

Bronze – SENS Innovation Group Ltd.

 

14. Gozo Business of the Year – supported by the Ministry for Gozo

Gold – Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz 

Silver – Tuta Agritourism

Bronze – Ta’ Mena Agri Ltd.

 

15. Family Business of the Year – supported by EPIC

Gold – 4JM Solutions Ltd.

Silver – Oxford House Ltd.

Bronze – Greens Supermarket Ltd.

 

16. Young Entrepreneur of the Year – supported by GSD Malta

Gold – Andrew & Julian Farrugia 

Silver – Christian Gravina

Bronze – Josh O’Cock

 

17. Female Entrepreneur of the Year – supported by MoneyBase

Gold  – Krystle Penza

Silver – Rachel Jane Vella

Bronze – Claire Zammit Xuereb

 

18. SME of the Year – supported by Malta Enterprise

Gold – Maritime MT

Silver – Izra Ltd.

Bronze – Busy Bee Group

 

19. Presidents’ Choice Award – supported by the Malta Chamber of SMEs

Isabella Debattista

The Malta Business Awards would like to thank its supporters:

Headliners: Moneybase, Malta Tourism Authority, WasteServ, Project Green & Trust Payments;

Platinum: Malta International Airport, Energy and Water Agency, Foundation for Transport, Ministry for National Heritage, Lands and Local Government, Ministry for Social Policy and Children’s Rights and EPIC our communication partner;

Gold: Ministry for Gozo, GSD Marketing Ltd, APS Bank plc, Ministry for Inclusion Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights, Academy of Givers and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority.

For more information about the Malta Business Awards, visit www.maltabusinessawards.mt.

The SME Chamber notes with great disappointment how MEP Agius Saliba has chosen to act and tackle a problem involving a sector of Maltese businesses.

Malta has its own set-up of Authorities and clearly defined routes to handle concerns related to issues of competition, something the SME Chamber frequently uses to tackle abuse. MEP Agius Saliba however chose to disregard this and appeal to the European Commission to intervene and even called upon it to investigate Maltese businesses.

It is unfortunately not the first time that the SME Chamber has noted a negative attitude towards businesses by the MEP. Out of all the currently sitting MEPs he is the only one who has never sought to engage in any contact, consult or involve the SME Chamber in any way as is his duty to do in order to represent all of Malta’s society. MEPs are elected on a national level to represent Malta as a whole and surely cannot disregard and work against a main segment of society – businesses.

The SME Chamber is very surprised by this attack especially since MR Agius Saliba hails from the party who has labelled those that oust Malta’s local affairs in Brussels as traitors. The stance adopted by MEP Agius Saliba is hypocritical, going against his own party’s and what appeared to be his own principles.

The SME Chamber will not accept for Maltese businesses to be made into scapegoats for cheap political advancements. It is clear that this is an unwarranted attack fuelled by a negative strategy to gain visibility as part of the MEP election campaign which is taking place in less than a year’s time. We remind Mr Agius Saliba that Maltese businesses make a big chunk of the votes and his attack has bought him no favours. The SME Chamber believes that this attitude of cheap tactics should not be trusted.

DR ROBERT ABELA WAS ELECTED FOLLOWING LAST SATURDAY’S GENERAL ELECTION

Following last Saturday’s election and today’s swearing-in of Dr Robert Abela as Prime Minister of Malta, the Malta Chamber of SMEs extends its congratulations and looks forward to continue working closely for this coming legislature.

Throughout the past 2 years Prime Minister Robert Abela always had an open channel of communication with the SME Chamber. The SME Chamber and Prime Minister have been working side by side during some of the hardest times our country has ever experienced for the benefit of the economy at large. We now look forward to continue building on this positive experience during the next five years.

The Malta Chamber of SMEs also congratulates all candidates on being elected as Members of Parliament.

The Malta Chamber of SMEs believes that the implementation phase of these proposals is key in order to achieve the desired results

The immense bureaucratic burden and impossible situations businesses have been facing in relation to access to banking services and compliance have only become more serious and counterproductive over the last years.

The Malta Chamber of SMEs has been highlighting its concern on the situation and how this was harming businesses and our economy. The SME Chamber was never against putting in place the required checks and balances. Over-regulation and burdening SMEs with the inability to work and waste of precious resources was never the answer, or a solution to any problem our country was facing. Access to banking services and the issue of the repetition of compliance exercises were main budget proposals from the side of the Malta Chamber of SMEs and we are therefore pleased to see them being taken up.

Apart from this, the SME Chamber also asked the government to intervene to protect corporate bank clients from the abuse of dominant position, from unfair treatment and the imposition of unjustified costs and charges. The SME Chamber still believes that while the cost of banking services is increasing exponentially, the quality of the service is not only not being elevated at par but continues going down in quality. Therefore, while paying much more for basic banking functions, SMEs are many times greatly unhappy with the level of service being given by the major banks. Regulatory surveillance and protection in this area is evidently missing.

The commitment made yesterday by the Prime Minister to give access to banking services to all businesses and centralise all compliance efforts across the country are greatly welcome. The Malta Chamber of SMEs also notes the positive remarks of the Leader of the Opposition in this regard. The Prime Minister’s commitment initiates a principle and a very important step to address Malta’s failures in the banking sector and give businesses guaranteed banking support.

The Prime Minister is also confirming that the compliance burden on businesses will not be removed but will be alleviated, as it should be. The Malta Chamber of SMEs believes that the implementation phase of these proposals is key in order to achieve the desired results.

The SME Chamber will continue supporting the business community and those implementing these important steps throughout this phase and will also continue working to have a healthy banking sector in Malta.

SME CHAMBER PROPOSES TO REDUCE THE VAT RATE FROM 18% TO 15.5%

A study conducted by the Malta Chamber of SMEs among 250 business owners  shows that 44% of SMEs in Malta expected their business to fare better this year.

The survey was carried out between the 10th and 27th of January amongst business owners. 17% replied that 2022 will be worse than 2021 while 39% replied that 2022 will be the same as 2021.

The press conference was addressed by SME Chamber Vice-President Mr Marcel Mizzi, Deputy President Mr Philip Fenech and CEO Ms Abigail Agius Mamo.

 According to the Business performance survey, businesses reported a better 2021 over 2020 but it was nowhere close to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Asked about their biggest concerns for the year, businesses said they were seriously concerned about the increases in costs, the prolonged uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the uncertainty created by the impending general election.

In terms of financial constraints, businesses biggest concerns were sales levels, cash flow, problems with collecting payments, employee wages, banking issues and repaying deferred taxes.

Several businesses reported that they have suffered a difficulty in performance due to quarantine rules, as 13% reported that 30% or more of their employees were out at one go due to quarantine.

38% of the respondents remained neutral on whether they were satisfied with the overall business sales in the first few weeks of 2022. 20% and 15% responded being dissatisfied and very dissatisfied respectively. Despite this, an overwhelming 44% of the respondents believe that 2022 will have better results than 2021, factoring in better control of the pandemic and increased consumer confidence. 

Click here to download full survey results

During the same press conference, the Malta Chamber of SMEs has presented 5 key proposals that will address the biggest challenges facing our economy and businesses during 2022:

• Eliminate Excise Tax on Consumer goods such as Water, Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Toiletries. Eliminating this invisible tax imposed by our policy makers would leave Eur 5 Million in the pockets of local consumers during 2022, according to government budget estimates.

• Reduce the VAT rate from 18% to 15.5%. While safeguarding Government’s income, this measure would ensure that the Government would not be gaining out of the calculation of the VAT percentage on the inflationary increases. This leaves the difference in VAT in the pockets of consumers and businesses.

• Reduce quarantine leave, in accordance to the recommendation by the CDC, to 5 days for positive cases only. This would be followed by 5 days of mask wearing.

• Facilitate the employment of TCNs from countries that have a positive track record in terms of visa acceptance. The engagement of TCNs should be centrally administered by the government and fast tracked.

• Malta to lobby in favour of harmonised travel rulesin order to increase the level of confidence in travelling for private and corporate clients.