|
 |
By Kurt Sansone
Industry and the business community may see a drop of around 25 per cent in port charges, according to government plans to reform work practices pertaining to the various service providers operating in the Grand Harbour.
The first sign of the wide-ranging reform will come by the end of this month when Government plans to issue a call for expressions of interest for the handling of cargo, which is currently handled by the GWU-owned Cargo Handling Company.
The GWU company has enjoyed a monopoly for years on end, since its contract was renewed automatically by subsequent administrations.
Government intends issuing a competitive tender for cargo handling operations but says only one company will be chosen to act as a terminal operator. The Cargo Handling Company’s contract expires in 2006...
By David Lindsay
The Malta Stock Exchange has seen explosive year on year growth, coupled by equally large growth margins since joining the European Union on 1 May last year and since the beginning of the current year.
Despite the fact that the country’s economic feel good factor has left something to be desired so far this year, the MSE share index has nevertheless surged ahead by 13 per cent since the year’s inception.
The year on year growth at the Exchange has been more pronounced, with the index climbing by close to 34 per cent, while growth since Malta took on EU membership last year has amounted to nearly 32 per cent...
By Kurt Sansone
It is not just public perception that the aggressive landscaping of soft areas along our road network has suddenly come to an end. Lack of funds are preventing the Environmental Landscapes Consortium, a public-private partnership, from going ahead with new landscaping projects, according to its chairman Peter Calamatta.
Speaking to The Malta Financial and Business Times, Calamatta says ELC only has funds to maintain the areas that already existed and those that were landscaped over the past year and a half.“Unless government provides the necessary funds we cannot initiate new projects,” Calamatta says.
In 2003 around 350 civil servants employed with the Department of Agriculture were transferred to the newly founded consortium under private management.
The employees had to adapt to new working practices and although change has been possible Calamatta laments that around 100 employees could not be “motivated” or “trained” for different reasons, some genuine and others not...
By James Debono
On Monday during the recording of TV programme Int X’Tahseb? PN General Secretary Joe Saliba revealed that a meeting will be held on 22 March between the three general secretaries of Malta’s political parties on electoral reform.
The secretary-generals of the other two parties were surprised that Saliba had made the meeting’s date public. This same information was also divulged to The Times on Monday. Asked by The Malta Financial and Business Times whether an agenda has been prepared for the meeting, MLP General Secretary Jason Micallef said that Saliba’s announcement was “very premature” as the three parties will only be meeting to formulate “an agenda for future meetings”...
OPINION
Investment, Industry and Information Technology Minister Austin Gatt speaks at last week’s mGovernment conference on applications and benefits of wireless technology in London. Following are extracts from his speech, in which he outlines the high use of SMS in Malta and its significance for e- and m-Government channels...
|
INTERVIEW
European Institute of Education Director of Courses and Administration Antonello Cappitta speaks to David Lindsay and explains the success of the University of Leicester MBA and Doctorate courses in Malta, which provides the university with the most student registrations from all the countries in which it is present...
|
MORE NEWS
|
