Competitive Malta meeting with MEP’s Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil at Fimbank

08.02.2007

Competitive Malta meeting with MEP’s Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil at FIMBank in presence of members and the foundation’s President Ms. Margrith Lutschg–Emmenegger.

MEP’s Simon Busuttil and Jospeh Muscat at FIMBank

Malta’s success at improving its competitive position to the 39 place is commendable. Malta, however, requires a clear and cohesive strategy in order to keep up with other small countries such as Estonia (25th place), Slovenia (33), Latvia (36) and the Slovak Republic (37).

Competitive Malta, believes that Malta needs to place stronger emphasis on quality as well as determining a number of creative propositions so as to maintain its competitiveness and strengthen economic potential on the basis of a clear and detailed strategic plan of action.

This is the outcome of the analysis put forward by the World Economic Forum as a result of its association with Competitive Malta – Foundation for National Competitiveness. The foundation was set-up in December of 2003.

At a meeting held at Palazzo Capua in January, the members of Competitive Malta appointed Margrith Lütschg-Emmenegger and Mr. Peter Bolech as President and Vice President respectively.

Their appointment follows on from Dr. John C. Grech’s end of term as first President of the Foundation.

Dr. Grech was instrumental in combining the effort required to obtain the consensus of a number of well established business organisations so as to jointly cooperate and propose ways to enhance Malta’s Competitiveness.

As a farewell message to Competitive Malta, Dr Grech stressed the importance of corporate commitment to the country’s competitiveness and its economic success. He expressed his satisfaction that Competitive Malta is now on sound platform and under the leadership of Margrith Lutschg-Emmenegger it would mostly and certainly continue to contribute to the process of better understanding of competitiveness and the need for a national effort to not only work smarter but also live better.

Following the launch of the first publication ‘Smarten Up Malta’, the Foundation is working on the second edition of this policy document. This document will present ideas and suggestions of how Malta can improve its overall product and marketing proposition in true coherence with Malta’s social, natural and historic proposition.

Supporting the foundation in this area are NGO’s including Nature Trust.

Meanwhile with the support of Mr. Simon Coombs, a former Conservative Member of the House of Commons for 13 years, the Foundation is setting up an Industry Parliament Link (IPL). This will be modeled on the Industry and Parliament Trust of the UK.

As part of the process of setting up IPL, Competitive Malta has held meetings with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and MEP’s Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil.

                                  
Margrith Lutschg-Emmenegger            Peter Bolech

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