The Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise has engaged Mr Klaus M. Pedersen to assist Members in their endeavours to look beyond our shores to expand their business. As part of its internal restructuring process, the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise has engaged Mr Klaus M. Pedersen as Trade, Investment and Internationalisation Manager to head the new Internationalisation Desk set up to assist Members in their endeavours to look beyond our shores to expand their business. Funds from the HSBC support agreement announced recently are being used to set up this Trade and International Affairs Desk with the aim of promoting external trade and Investment. Chamber President Victor A. Galea said that the project seeks to help member companies in internationalising their business operations by assisting them to tap new markets for products and services: invest overseas and find international trade or investment partners. While focusing on specific regional markets the Chamber will also provide market-research information. Read more...

Figures released by the Treasury reveal that the shortfall between recurrent revenue and total expenditure for the first eleven months of 2007 amounts to Lm82.0 million (€190.9 million). Data from the Government Consolidated Fund indicates that the shortfall between recurrent revenue and total expenditure for the first eleven months of the year compared to the same period last year increased by Lm2.0 million and amounted to Lm82.0 million. The increase in total expenditure was Lm17.5 million while the increase in recurrent revenue was Lm15.5 million. When compared to the same period in 2006, revenue from Income Tax rose by Lm22.1 million to Lm214.6 million. Revenue from Social Security Contributions and from Value Added Tax went up by Lm4.0 million and by Lm4.9 million respectively, while revenues from Customs and Excise duties yielded an additional Lm7.9 million. Concurrently, revenue from Grants declined by Lm34.6 million. Read more...

Renaissance Productions Ltd has just concluded negotiations with Juventus to secure the exclusive rights to represent the Juventus Soccer School in the Maltese islands. The first Juventus Soccer School will be located at Don Bosco Oratory in Victoria, Gozo, directors Anton Tabone and Amabile Zammit announced. The Juventus Soccer School shall be officially inaugurated by Marco Marchi, International Soccer Schools Manager at a special ceremony to be held on 11th January 2008 at Don Bosco Oratory. Training sessions under the guidance of Juventus Soccer School Head Coach, Alessandro Ramello, for children aged 8-16 years will take place prior to the opening ceremony. Two Juventus players are expected to be present. Read more...

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) is unhappy with the quality of meals which are being served to its members working at the Gozo General Hospital. The union has warned that it may order industrial action if the situation doesn't improve. The union said that in the last five months, daily servings comprised of canned beef and fatty ham with hard peas, beans and carrots. The later meal would comprise of overcooked pasta and, very often, tough meat. The chips or baked potatoes served with the meal are also cold as they are cooked early in the morning. In October, the union said, they were told that cereals would be served, however, though the cereals had indeed been purchased, they had not ... Read more...

The Kempinski San Lawrenz Resort and Spa recently hosted a national conference organized by the European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA), to launch EU educational projects for the years 2007-2013. Various speakers explained the projects which are of great benefit for the European citizen. San Lawrenz had been identified for its best practices in this field and the Mayor, Noel Formosa delivered a detailed presentation concerning the youth projects the council has been involved in. The San Lawrenz Council received Lm33,000 in EU funds through which 187 young people from San Lawrenz had the opportunity to benefit directly from. Through this funding the young people had the opportunity to mobilise themselves and discover other cultures.

Provisional estimates for 2006 indicate that Gozo's contribution to national Gross Domestic Product at market prices is 5.8 per cent, or Lm125.4 million (€292.1 million). Gross Value Added (GVA) for Malta grew by 5.9 per cent in 2006, whilst that for Gozo went up by 3.5 per cent. Service activities (excluding other services) and Industry (including energy and construction) contributed positively towards Gozo's Gross Value Added (GVA). Employment in Industry (including energy) declined in both regions. The gross value added at basic prices for Malta stood at Lm1,749.6 million in 2006, an increase of 34.8 per cent over the 1999 figure. In Gozo, gross value added stood at Lm107.4 million, up by 23.1 per cent over the seven-year period. The share of Gozo's contribution to the national agriculture and fishing sector amounted to 16.7 per cent in 2006, confirming the island's higher dependence on this primary sector compared to the mainland. Read more...

Maltapost would like to advise the general public that, in agreement with the Malta Communications Authority, no mail delivery will be carried out and all Maltapost retail outlets in Malta and Gozo will not open for business on Wednesday, the 2nd of January 2008. Normal service will resume on Thursday, the 3rd of January 2008. Maltapost would also like to notify the public that on the 31st of December 2007, an earlier collection from all letterboxes will be made at 2.00pm and that the retail outlets at Dar Annona Valletta, Victoria Gozo and Head Office Marsa, will close at 2.00pm.

The Central Bank of Malta has reduced the central intervention rate by 25 basis points to 4.00% with immediate effect. The decision was taken by the Governor at the end of the Monetary Policy Advisory Council (MPAC) meeting held this morning. The Governor explained that the reduction in the central intervention rate completes the process of convergence of official interest rates in Malta with those of the euro area. He recalled that under Malta's existing fixed exchange rate regime, the central intervention rate embodied a premium to compensate investors for exchange rate risk. With the adoption of the euro on 1 January 2008, this risk and the consequent premium on official short-term interest rates will disappear. Hence, at its new level of 4% the central intervention rate is identical to the minimum bid rate on the main refinancing operations set by the European Central Bank. Read more...

Gozo's Gaulitanus Choir will round up its and Gozo's Christmas activities with an End-of-Festive Season Concert to be held at St. Augustine Church, Victoria, Gozo on Saturday the 5th of January 2008. The concert starts at 7.15 pm and entrance is free. The concert will feature the choir's principal soloist, soprano Rita Dimech, up-and-coming violinist Jean Noël Attard, the choir itself and an orchestra conducted by Gaultinus founder-director, Colin Attard, who also artistically directs the concert. The orchestra will open the concert with the ever-popular, quasi-ritualistic Sinfonia Pastorale, a 19th century Christmas overture by Maltese composer Emmanuele Galea. Soprano Rita Dimech backed by the choir and accompanied by the orchestra then interpret A Christmas Rhapsody, a medley of Christmas songs arranged by Colin Attard. Read more...

The Central Bank of Malta has issued a silver and a gold coin commemorating Grandmaster Jean de La Valette. The obverse of the coins shows the Emblem of Malta with the year of issue 2007. The reverse depicts Grandmaster La Valette with the dates of his birth and death (1494 - 1568). These coins are being issued under the Europa Programme 2007 with the theme 'European Realisation'. The 'Europa Star' which is the official logo of this programme, is also being shown on the reverse. These two coins will be the last coins denominated in Maltese lira and their design is the work of the Maltese artist Noel Galea Bason. The coins were minted at the Royal Dutch Mint with the following specifications: Read more...