Fostering cultural and economic ties between Switzerland and Malta
by David Kelleher
Malta is not only a great tourist attraction but is also ideally located for business activities in the Mediterranean and it was for this reason that the Swiss-Maltese Chamber of Commerce was set up last May.
Nearly six months on, the Chamber is preparing a schedule of activities for its members aimed at fostering economic and cultural ties as well as friendship between Switzerland and Malta.
In a letter to members last month, the President of the Chamber, Kurt Kamber explained why Malta is important.
"One has to see Malta in broader context in relation to its strategic position in the area: Libya is becoming an interesting market with enormous replacement potential. A total of 4,000 Maltese subjects live in Libya and are holding responsible positions in business and administration," Mr Kurt Kamber said.
"Malta has traditionally good and close relations to the Middle East, where the peace process is going forward again; at the same time the influence of Malta is strong in the North African region as well as the southern European countries," he added.
"The Swiss-Maltese Chamber of Commerce is an ideal instrument to make proper and successful use of this potential opportunity. We do have the crucial contacts and offer personal and tailor-made solutions to our members," Mr Kamber explained.
Increasing membership is one of the tasks for the coming months. The chamber aims to recruit a minimum of 100 members (companies and/or individuals) during the first year, but it is expected that the number will increase to nearly 500 within the next few years.
The Malta Chamber of Commerce, in turn, is also actively looking for new members, mainly sponsoring members, so that its Swiss counterpart can rely on a sufficiently broad financial support.
"Our primary obligation is now to recruit as many members for our chamber as possible so that we are in a position to represent our members' interests effectively vis-à-vis the authorities and lobbying organisations on the basis of a free market economy environment," Mr Kamber said.
According to the Chamber's brochure, there are eight reasons for joining:
The Swiss-Maltese chamber will be cooperating closely with the Maltese chamber - which is rich in tradition and in the mainstream of business with over 1,200 members;
Membership offers direct access to the crucial institutions and organisations in both countries;
The Chamber will also be offering special and attractive trips at reasonable prices to promote the exchange of business and cultural contacts;
Members benefit from the mutually available valuable connections; for example to obtain visas and permits;
By taking part in the Chamber's social events, members can meet like-minded persons and acquaint themselves with potential business partners;
Members can avail themselves of numerous services at preferential conditions;
The Chamber is politically and denominationally neutral; favours free market economies and represents members' interests on trade, commerce and industry;
Members receive regular and in advance information on economic developments and legal or tax changes.
There have already been a number of visits to Malta by Swiss members on the board of directors and others are planned in the future, Mr Kamber said.
In the second half of September the President, second vice-president and a board member were in Malta to discuss the final details of future cooperation between the two chambers.
The delegation met with the Minister for Economic Services and the Finance Minister and top executives of the Malta Financial Services Centre, Metco, Malta Development Corporation, Malta Federation of Industry, Malta Tourism Authority and Air Malta.
The Chamber is aware of the fact that up-to-date information on various issues is necessary for effective business. In collaboration with the Maltese Chamber of Commerce, the Swiss-Maltese chamber's members will receive the Commercial Courier, a local publication for the business community. The Commercial Courier will also carry information on the Swiss-Maltese Chamber's activities, important official publications and announcements. The aim is to keep the Swiss-Maltese chamber up-to-date on developments in Malta and vice- versa through one publication.
More information may be obtained from the Chamber of Commerce, Republic Street, Valletta.
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