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Adrian Bajada, President of the Malta Federation of Industry (FOI), accompanied by FOI’s permanent representative in Brussels and MBB Director General Dr. Leonard Mizzi, attended the recent Council of Presidents meetings of the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE), of which the FOI is an active member.
Over 30 countries attended this Council of Presidents, mobilizing nearly 100 top officials from the Industrial and Employers Federations from the EU-25, the candidate countries and the EFTA States. The themes discussed are extremely topical from a business perspective – the EU’s current institutional crisis, the EU Social Model, the Future Financial Perspectives, Climate Change, the completion of the EU’s Internal Market and the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong this week.
The key conclusion was that the competitiveness of enterprises is a key factor towards jobs and growth in the EU. National Governments need to work harder and quicker to achieve goals relating to the renewed Lisbon strategy. The FOI considers that this strategy is a top priority for Malta in the years to come. The Financial Perspectives 2007-2013 (i.e. the share of the EU budget and its allocation) needs to be resolved during this week as Heads of State and Government start negotiating the size of the budget and the priorities for future financing. UNICE (and the FOI) hope that this discussion is concluded by the end of the week as this will not only serve as a positive signal that an enlarged EU can take decisions but also because the new Member States can start programming their projects for future EU funding as soon as possible. The EU’s Internal Market needs to be completed, especially on the services front. UNICE supports the Commission in its approach to address problems, especially on the better business regulation front.
FOI, like UNICE, will during the coming months enhance the communication exercise amongst its members and the general public. UNICE Presidents will be meeting in Paris on 7th April to decide on a strategy on how to communicate the jobs and growth agenda at an EU and national level. The FOI, through its MBB offices, is following closely this week’s debates on the Financial Perspectives and the international trade negotiations and will be communicating the conclusions to its members and will be briefing them in detail in the coming days and weeks.
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