CC Editorial
A term that closes, a new one to look forward to Bringing the two-year term of the current Council to a close, the Chamber prepares for another electoral cycle, whereby a new President and administration will be chosen. The democratic process which is provided for by the statute of Malta’s oldest business organisation is the perfect occasion to take a look back on the past two years and appreciate some of the achievements obtained for the benefit of members.
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hroughout the past two years, the Malta Chamber continued to provide its members with an ever-growing portfolio of value-added services, as well as supported Malta’s business community on a number of occasions, in a variety of issues. The Chamber continued to carry out representation work in terms of policy, in favour of a competitiveness-based sustainable economy. The Chamber also organised an increasingly ambitious number of events which were very well attended by members, as well as supported many individual cases that turned to the Chamber for help. The new term coincided with a general election process that as expected characterised several months in Malta.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019
This was an opportunity for the Chamber to influence policy formulation – in fact, a business manifesto, which included proposals for a more competitiveness-based economy, was presented to the main political parties ahead of the general election. The Chamber also made important pronouncements with regard to good governance and the protection of the country’s reputation, as well as the alleviation of the acute skills gap affecting the private sector. The Chamber was at the forefront to represent business in sensitive negotiations with the authorities on important issues such as minimum wage, parental sick leave, amendments to billboard regulations, public holidays compensatory measures, Driving Penalty Points System insofar as fleet owners
are concerned and the National Reform Programme. The Chamber’s efforts on the policy front continued well into 2018, as the Chamber presented a comprehensive study, complete with several recommendations, to Government about the Labour Market situation in Malta. During a presentation to the Cabinet, and eventually to the Opposition, the Chamber outlined the findings in its policy paper, and how the situation of labour shortage currently characterising the market can be addressed. The presentation was followed by a series of practical initiatives and collaborations, including with MCAST and other international partners, aimed at helping businesses identify and recruit human resources. 11