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Enterprise policy
on the agenda
The EU-Malta Enterprise Policy Seminar opens today at the
Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel. The two day meeting is a forum
for representatives from the government, the European Commission’s
DG Enterprise and the social partners to discuss Malta’s
industrial policy.
The seminar follows on from a multi-country meeting on industrial
and enterprise policy held last March in Brussels. This event
in Malta is the first of its kind, and will be followed by similar
events in other candidate countries.
The seminar is being organised jointly by the Institute for
the Promotion of Small Enterprise – IPSE Ltd, and the EU
Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support
of the European Commission’s DG Enterprise.
IPSEís involvement in the Malta-EU Enterprise Policy
Seminar is a natural consequence of its role. It provides assistance
to small enterprises seeking to expand their operations, and
seeks to encourage entrepreneurship and small business development,
besides assisting enterprises restructure, both to achieve competitiveness
in a liberalised market environment. This role includes acting
as champion for the SME sector and seeking to establish a business
environment favourable to SMEs and entrepreneurial ventures.
Encouragement and participation in debates which will help establish
the basic parameters under which Maltese enterprise will operate
is of prime importance in fulfilling this goal. It is important
that the discussions are as inclusive as possible. The participation
of the European Commission’s DG Enterprise is also crucial.
It enables the social partners, the government and the EU to
reach a common understanding of the issues and of the problems
each envisages in the area of industrial and enterprise policy.
The seminar is being attended by representatives from the Malta
Chamber of Commerce, the Gozo Chamber of Commerce, the UHM,
the GRTU, Federation of Industries, the Malta Employers Association,
the General Workers Union and the Foundation for Human Resources
Management. Representatives from METCO, MDC, MFSC and ETC are
also attending. The seminar is being held today and tomorrow.
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