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8 AUGUST 2001
Editorial Souring the pensions debate 
Opinion EU negotiations – taking Malta’s needs into account Foreign
Minister Joe Borg, gives an update on the series of meetings held with
Special Interest Members of the MEUSAC and on the current status of
negotiations with the European Union. Focus 2000’s external account imbalance set to largely reverse during 2001
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Trade licences hit record high Despite the general perception that the country was facing an economic slowdown, the number of licences for new businesses topped a staggering 331 in the first six months of the year. This compared very favourably with 388 in 1998 from January to December. The statistics were launched to the press by Economics Services parliamentary secretary Edwin Vassallo when visiting a commercial centre in B’Kara. Mr Vassallo said that the locality where the largest number of licences were issued was Qormi with 42, followed by Zejtun with 36, St Julian’s with 35, B’Kara with 32 and Gozo with 30. He revealed that police had 549 trade licences pending, and this included 164 transfer licenses and 385 requests for new licences. Commenting on the bureaucracy linked with licence approval, he pinpointed the Chief Medical Officer as the entity with the highest number of pending files, with 241 cases, followed by the drainage department with 198. Mr Vassallo emphasised that the free market had brought about increased diversity and competition and he attributed this to the removal of levies and the growth in the economy. Top Stories GRTU accuse government of moving blindly on Price Club Unions join forces in pension skirmish In the NEWS
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The Business Times, Network House, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 07
Tel: (356) 382741-3, 382745-6 | Fax: (356) 385075
Editor: Saviour Balzan
e-mail: [email protected]