Author: Developers Think

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry feels compelled to remind unions that their counterparts in social dialogue on behalf of their members employed by the private sector are employers and employer bodies, not Government. This is in light with the directives issued by UHM to their members in response to the postponement of opening of schools, so far by a couple of days.

For the past two years there has been close cooperation between employers and their employees, whether unionised or otherwise. This collaboration has enabled so many to work from home, to adopt more flexible working hours, and to absent themselves from work at short notice for all sorts of reasons, ranging from quarantines to school closures. Solutions must be found on the basis of dialogue and not through the issue of unilateral directives. This approach is uncalled for.

The Malta Chamber invites unions to join employer bodies in the call to be extremely judicious in determining the appropriate duration of preventive quarantine periods, particularly when employees are fully vaccinated. This will ensure that disruptions to schools and workplaces are kept to a minimum. Where particular circumstances necessitate that children under 12 are kept at home, arrangements need to be made by the parents on a case-by-case basis, with their respective employers, as has happened countless times in the past two years.

The Malta Chamber appeals to the education authorities and unions representing educators to find workable solutions that, apart from minimising disruption in workplaces, prioritize the proper education of children which is of paramount importance. There is broad consensus that online schooling can never substitute face-to-face learning. We have to acknowledge that the current generation of students has already accumulated significant educational deficit over the last two years as a result of online schooling. The Malta Chamber reiterates that every effort is expected from all concerned so that students can return to school and resume proper education at the earliest possible.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry is concerned that the current 14-day quarantine period for Covid-19 positive cases and their contacts is unsustainable. The government should reduce isolation to 10 days, and to 7 days for fully vaccinated contacts.

The Chamber believes that this will motivate more people to take their booster and encourage higher compliance with quarantine periods, at a time when testing, contact tracing and enforcement are stretched to the limits.

As things stand, there is a real risk that businesses providing essential services will be unable to operate uninterruptedly. Companies that cannot shift to remote working, such as manufacturing will run into serious disruptions that will further compromise supply chains. Supermarkets, essential retail and the tourism sector will also be adversely affected.

Last Monday US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement recommending that the quarantine period should be shortened from 10 days to 5 days for those who do not have any Covid-19 related symptoms. In addition, several other countries have already proceeded to reduce the quarantine period.

Also, The Malta Chamber believes that employers need more clarity and support on mandating vaccines for employees who have customer contact or who are in contact with several other employees in the execution of their job.

Specifically, people who are fully vaccinated are significantly less likely to be seriously sick and less likely to spread the virus. Therefore, those who are refusing to be vaccinated are exposing their workplace to higher risk. Employers need to be supported in mandating vaccines on the basis of a risk assessment.

EY Malta have once again renewed their Gold Partnership Support Agreement with The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry.

Through their extensive experience, EY Malta will be providing consultancy services to support the Chamber in the formulation of national policy-making positions and recommendations in a number of fields covered by the Chamber’s Business Sections and Horizontal Thematic committees.

“As Malta’s leading business representative body, we are honoured to be supporting EY Malta and its flagship event; Future Realised,” said Marisa Xuereb, President of the Malta Chamber.

Ms Xuereb added that, “Through this partnership, the Malta Chamber aims to provide more value to its members by collecting and disseminating invaluable information about the business community and its opinion on Malta’s attractiveness, investment aspirations and needs.”

Chris Naudi, EY Malta Partner and Head of Markets, said “We are delighted to further strengthen our strong relationship with the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. The work we have carried out over the years for the Chamber on various financial and economic matters has greatly benefitted the local business community and we want nothing more than to see its continued success, especially as we must navigate this crucial next phase of the global pandemic.”

 

“We also look forward to another year collaborating on our national annual event, Future Realised, which serves as a check-point for the island and brings to fruition many great ideas on sustainability, technology, human capital and other key topics, which will take place next October,” said Mr Naudi.

The Malta Chamber is honoured with the trust EY Malta is showing through this agreement and looks forward to continue building on the strong relationship the parties enjoy for years.

The agreement was signed by President Ms Marisa Xuereb and Deputy President Mr Chris Vassallo Cesareo on behalf of the Malta Chamber and Mr Christopher Naudi, Partner and Head of Markets on behalf of EY Malta.

The business delegation to Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE held between the 12th and 17th December during the Knowledge and Learning Week, was hailed as a success by participants and organisers.

Over 70 Meetings scheduled by the TradeMalta office in Dubai were held in Dubai City Center and also in other inter cities.

The delegation, which included public and private institutions from the education and training sector, visited the Malta Pavillion and participated in numerous networking sessions held at Expo 2020 Serbia, SlovakiaExpo2020, and Portugal Expo 2020, with the participation of businesses from the respective countries, as well as from Colombia Expo Dubai 2020 and the Brazil Pavilion.

The delegation also took part in an Education and Business Forum hosted by SlovakiaExpo2020, with the participation of other education institutions and stakeholders from Mexico Expo 2020, Slovenia at Expo, Morocco Expo 2020 Dubai, and the UAE Pavilion.

Furthermore, the delegation participated in other sessions and networking events organised by Expo 2020 Russia, and Expo 2020 Argentina.

TradeMalta’s next Business Mission to the UAE and Expo 2020 Dubai will take place from the 13th to the 18th February 2022. For more information click here or send an email to info@trademalta.org.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry appeals for caution and to keep in mind the national interest in matters related to energy provision.

It is therefore imperative that we find ways of addressing concerns related to the existing agreements independently of proposed projects that could provide us with more options for energy generation in future. For the benefit of our country and the business community, no one should try to jeopardize EU funding for Malta’s energy transition.

The green transition, which the EU including Malta is committed to, will require countries to be very careful with managing their energy supply options to minimise the risk of spikes in energy prices. If this is not maintained, it will hurt the competitiveness of European businesses and provoke social unrest. The decarbonisation of transport, which is a priority for Malta, requires an accelerated process of electrification of vehicles that will increase energy demands by 30-50%. While solar, wave power and wind energy are renewable sources that Malta can tap into, one has to keep in mind that these are also inconsistent energy sources by their very nature. In the absence of high-volume energy storage technologies, which do not exist and do not seem to be within reach in the foreseeable future, renewable sources need to be complemented by on-demand energy sources. The only such carbon-neutral source is nuclear energy, which most EU countries have never invested in or voted out. The next cleanest on-demand energy source is gas. Even the production of hydrogen itself is energy intensive. So while this fuel holds promise for the decarbonisation of large vehicles, ships and aeroplanes, energy generation and the pace at which viable alternative technologies will develop, remains a key challenge for the green transition.

In view of this, it is imperative for Malta to have a gas pipeline in place by 2028 when the current 10-year agreement for the supply of gas expires. Irrespective of the requirements of the existing energy and fuel supply agreements, which should of course be questioned on their own merits, we cannot risk putting in danger the country’s energy supply for the future. The possibility of converting the proposed gas pipeline into a hydrogen pipeline, improves the long-term viability of the project. It is a fact that we have one main energy provider and we do not have the luxury of making subjective assessments on the shareholders of our energy provider before deciding whether to switch the light on or off. At this stage Malta needs to have its second interconnector by 2025 while continuing to invest on renewable energy so as to reach its decarbonisation targets.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry is pleased to announce that Rachel Attard will be taking on the role of Media and Communication Strategist at The Malta Chamber.

More recently she continued to excel in media advisory roles with various private and public entities of national importance.

Rachel Attard said, “I am looking forward to this new challenge with drive, enthusiasm and a sense of mission. The Chamber is a key contributor to this country’s socioeconomic well-being and vision, and it is humbling to be part of its great team.”

Keith Demicoli, who joined the Chamber earlier this year in a Communications role, will continue to produce and present ‘L-Intrapriza’, the Chamber’s weekly TV programme together with Malta Enterprise.

Mr Demicoli said “Coming to the Chamber after 13 years as a news reporter and anchor with PBS was a major shift that took a lot of courage. I am glad that I made the move because it emboldened me to be able to take on further challenges independently.”

Chamber President Marisa Xuereb welcomed Rachel Attard to the team and stated that “The Chamber continues to attract some of the most talented doers on the island, both amongst its membership ranks as well as in terms of professionals who are eager to contribute to the Chamber’s success in one capacity or another. On this solid foundation, we are able to give more value to our members and the Chamber is even more empowered to continue being the leading voice of business.”

Dr Marthese Portelli, the Chamber’s CEO added: “I am convinced that having Rachel on board will help us increase the impetus we seeded this year to make The Malta Chamber more modern, relevant and effective.”

Ms Xuereb and Dr Portelli thanked Keith Demicoli for his service to The Malta Chamber and commended his efforts in promoting its work.