Month: February 2023

Traffic mitigation is an issue that The Malta Chamber has been working on proactively through a number of proposals that were put forward for Government’s consideration

The Transport Ministry met with The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry together with a number of representatives from the commercial community as part of a series of stakeholder meetings on the topic of public transport and navigating the ‘peak hour’.

The discussion centred around the Government’s plan to address traffic challenges in our country and the ways that public transport can become more efficient and a realistic alternative.
Minister Aaron Farrugia explained that these meetings, titled ‘Deċiżjoni b’direzzjoni: djalogu dwar trasport u mobilità’, led by consultant and academic Prof. Gordon Sammut, are expected to bear fruit as they are involving all stakeholders.

“The Ministry and its experts are looking beyond partisan discussions and working to ensure that stakeholders are protagonists in the reasoning, planning, and form part of the solutions to these much-needed changes,” Minister Farrugia said.

During this meeting President Marisa Xuereb together with Dr Marthese Portelli, CEO of The Malta Chamber, put forward a number of proposals for the Government’s consideration, amongst which the introduction of an e-mobility wallet concept which would help bring about a modal shift from private cars to shared mobility through the introduction of parking fees which would be credited back to one’s e-mobility wallet to be used on shared mobility, mass transport, bikes, ferries and other modes of transport which help to decongest roads.

The Malta Chamber said that “traffic mitigation is an issue that we have been working on proactively through a number of proposals that we put forward for Government’s consideration, after listening to our members’ concerns.”

The Malta Chamber 2023 AGM will be held on Tuesday, 28th March 2023 at 4.30 p.m.

The Annual General Meeting of the members of The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry will take place on Tuesday, 28th March 2023 at 4.30 p.m. The meeting will be held at The Malta Chamber, Exchange Buildings, Republic Street, Valletta. It will be possible for members to participate online. Places at The Malta Chamber are limited, members are therefore asked to inform Johanna Calleja on johanna.calleja@maltachamber.org.mt if they wish to participate in the meeting physically.

The formal agenda will be issued in due course, in the meantime members are asked to confirm their attendance on this link.

ELECTIONS

The Elections of the Executive Boards of Economic Groups and Council of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry will be held according to the schedule below.

Candidates wishing to run for election to the Executive Board of Economic Groups and Council are asked to submit their nomination by not later than Tuesday, 7th March 2023 at 12 noon. Nomination papers for candidates for election to the Executive Boards of Economic Groups and Council may be obtained from the undersigned. Each candidate must be proposed and seconded by members of the Economic Group in which the candidate is a member. The nomination paper should be accompanied by information about the candidate. This information should not exceed 100 words and will be circulated to all members with the list of candidates.

Voting by Secret Ballot for the election of:

6 Members to form the Executive Board of the Importers, Distributors and Retailers Economic Group
6 Members to form the Executive Board of the Manufacturers and Other Industries Economic Group and
6 Members to form the Executive Board of the Services Providers Economic Group

Physical voting will take place at the Exchange Buildings, Valletta, on: Tuesday, 28th March 2023 – Immediately after the AGM up to 7.30 p.m. (or as directed by the Electoral Commission).

Electronic voting will open on Tuesday, 28th March 2023 at 7.30 pm and will remain open until Thursday, 30th March at 4 pm.

The eighteen persons elected will form the Council of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry for the period March 2023 to March 2025.

It should be noted that only fully paid-up members of The Malta Chamber are eligible to be nominated for elections and to vote in these elections (rules 6.3 and 6.4 of the Statute).

Importers, Distributors and Retailers Economic Group

Manufacturers and Other Industries Economic Group

Services Providers Economic Group

This WE MAKE webinar showcased best practices from three leading manufacturing companies which highlighted the investment opportunities for companies, such as rainwater collection for heating/cooling

“Sustainable manufacturing and conservation of resources are more than just energy management. Water management is expected to take a more pronounced role amongst the metrics for sustainability. Aside from an expression of green credentials, investing in water efficiency allows a company to secure its future cost-base, particularly given that Maltese freshwater is a resource under increasing strain, and its future abundance is not a given,” said Chris Vassallo Cesareo, The Malta Chamber Deputy President.

The Deputy President was addressing attendees during the latest webinar organised as part of the WE MAKE Project which aims to assist companies in becoming more sustainable and more efficient, and thus, more competitive.

“There are various ways to carry out water efficiency investments in industry, as there are many applications of water to the manufacturing process. Process water is used in the execution of manufacturing processes such as incorporation into the product, while cooling/heating water may be used for chilled water systems,” noted Vassallo Cesareo.

The webinar, organised in collaboration with Malta Business Bureau (MBB) and the Energy and Water Agency (EWA), showcased best practices from three leading manufacturing companies which highlighted the investment opportunities for companies, such as rainwater collection for heating/cooling.

The Malta Chamber Deputy President Chris Vassallo Cesareo said that, “B&M retails has proven to be resilient over the last two decades despite the explosion in ecommerce. This characteristic resilience has manifested itself once again with B&M retail surviving the pandemic despite the damage suffered. What actually happened is that these two worlds – Ecommerce and B&M – have actually settled into a state of coexistence.”

He said this during ‘Industry focus series: Retail and Consumer’ event organized by The Malta Chamber and EY Malta. Deputy President also spoke about the customer experience, “by encouraging, training, nurturing, and incentivising our staff to make the experience for the customer a unique one. This will allow us to remain competitive with the convenience factor of online shopping. “

During the same event EY presented the 6th edition of the EY Malta Future Consumer Index. In this survey 22% of the 18-40 year old respondents who participated in this exercise said that most of their retail purchase are made online. 33% of the respondents said that they will only pay a premium for brands that they trust.

In relation to retail this week EMCS also published a two year study which provides a complete report on brand value and consumer perception of different brands in Malta. The ‘Brands in Malta Survey 2021 – 2022‘ highlighted that GO, Cisk and Farsons are amongst the top local brands. 

Event promotes social dialogue on the importance of the digital transition, the opportunities it brings to the workplace, but also the impact it may have on workers

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, together with Malta Business Bureau and in association with General Workers Union, organised an event titled ‘The Ripple Effect of AI’, as part of the TransFormWork project. The event aimed at discussing the impact of artificial intelligence at the workplace and learn more about the recent EU legislative initiatives in the field of AI.

In his opening speech, The Malta Chamber Deputy President, Chris Vassallo Cesareo noted that The Malta Chamber has in recent years been very vocal about the need for the local business community to digitalise its operations. “In fact, in March 2019, a public-private partnership between the Government and The Malta Chamber – Tech.mt – was launched to help Maltese technological companies grow in areas such as AI and Big Data,” he said.

“Digitalisation and AI have a role to play in many sectors, and indeed, in its recommendations for the Next Legislature (Time to Step Up). In this publication The Malta Chamber stresses that technology and AI are different from each other. Technological investment in digitalisation, including enforcement agencies and the law courts should rank as one of the top priorities of Government in this legislature. This was re-emphasised in our recommendations for the 2023 National Budget, wherein we proposed that local businesses should be incentivised – through reductions in enrolment fees or tax incentives – to invest in their employees to undergo specialised IT related courses,” continued the Deputy President.

Vassallo Cesareo concluded that, nevertheless, The Malta Chamber strongly believes that any digitalisation and AI should still be human focused and led. Social dialogue continues to be vital for a strong democracy and good industrial relations.

Several industry experts also shared their insights on the subject of AI and digitalisation. Prof Joshua Ellul, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Faculty of Information & Communication Technology at the University of Malta delivered a presentation on the misconceptions of AI and how it can positively enhance the workplace. Jo-Etienne Abela, Minister for the Elderly & Active Ageing and Consultant of Surgery, gave a video message on the influence of AI within the medical field. Dr James Scicluna, Partner at WH Partners, spoke about EU initiatives on AI, more specifically, the Artificial Intelligence Act, Liability Directive and implications at the workplace.

A panel discussion, moderated by MBB CEO, Joe Tanti, followed and was made up of the following speakers:
• Dr Daniela Grech, Head – Projects & EU Funds, The Malta Chamber
• Josef Bugeja, Secretary-General, GWU
• Stefan Farrugia, CEO, Eunoia
• Dr Angelo Dalli, Entrepreneur, Investor, AI & Technology Expert
• Brigitte Tanti, EEN Coordinator, Malta Enterprise

Dr Daniela Grech said that “The Malta Chamber believes that access to digital-centric schemes, which aim to help business to upgrade and improve their digital infrastructure should be broadened and that Government and business should join forces to develop and implement digitalisation, innovation and technology-driven transformation pathways tailored to different sectors, supported by fiscal incentives.”

“Local business must embark on more agile uptake of automation to address inefficiencies and maximise on costs, and that if that is done well such investments can stimulate economic activity and ultimately increase employment in general,” she continued.

The European Commission’s proposal for a Cyber Resilience Act is a welcome first step in finding collective solutions towards enhanced cybersecurity

The Malta Business Bureau (MBB) held an informative webinar discussing the details of the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the new requirements for businesses. The European Commission’s CRA proposal marks the first comprehensive step in finding collective solutions towards enhanced cybersecurity at EU-level.

MBB President Alison Mizzi introduced the session and outlined how ”over the years, high-profile cyberattacks have created billions of euros in damages, many times to companies, and remain an existing threat. To this end, the European Commission’s proposal for a Cyber Resilience Act is a welcome first step in finding collective solutions towards enhanced cybersecurity.” She continued to explain that ”this legislation will go beyond the security of just services to also take into consideration goods in protecting both consumers and businesses from products that have inadequate security features.”

In her intervention, Dr. Marthese Portelli, CEO at The Malta Chamber accentuated the vital role of technology within all companies. She said that “Digitalisation and infrastructure are a main policy pillar for the Chamber. Cyber security and cyber resilience are important aspects that businesses should be looking into, both to ensure compliance with the law but also to minimize their risk.” She went on to explain that The Malta Chamber is taking a 2-pronged approach to support their members – firstly by raising awareness with manufactures, importers and distributors on their responsibilities and implications when selling products of digital elements; secondly by raising more awareness amongst the business users on the importance of market preparedness including being aware of technological developments and the importance of cybersecurity.

Dr Sarah Cannataci, Associate at Fenech and Fenech Advocates gave a detailed presentation on the CRA from a legal perspective. Dr. Cannataci explained that ”given the cross-border nature of cybersecurity, a joint action at EU level is required in tackling an emerging fragmented framework of potentially diverging national rules which risk hampering an open and competitive single market for products with digital elements.” She also explained how the CRA has four specific objectives: (1) to have manufacturers ensure the security of a product throughout its whole lifecycle, (2) to have a coherent cybersecurity framework in facilitating compliance, (3) to enhance the transparency of security properties for products with digital elements and (4) ensure that businesses and consumers are able to use products with digital elements securely.

The webinar was attended by operators from the manufacturing and retail sectors dealing with Internet of Things (IoT) and digital products that are both wired and wireless as well as non-embedded software. Other interventions were made by officials from the Ministry for the Economy, European Funds and Lands, and Eurochambres, the Association of European Chambers of Commerce. The session is available to be viewed from the MBB’s website and YouTube channel.

For further information on the Cyber Resilience Act, please contact the Malta Business Bureau on infobrussels@mbb.org.mt.