Malta Chamber of SMEs wins European Civil Solidarity prize for project that supported businesses during pandemic

The Malta Chamber of SMEs wins the European Economic and Social Committee Civil Solidarity prize for the support it gave small and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic

SME Chamber CEO Abigail Mamo said the organisation acted as a central point of support for businesses navigating the uncertainty caused by the pandemic
SME Chamber CEO Abigail Mamo said the organisation acted as a central point of support for businesses navigating the uncertainty caused by the pandemic

The Malta Chamber of SMEs has won the Civil Solidarity prize awarded by the European Parliament's European Economic and Social Committee for its support to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee awarded prizes for projects in 22 member states.

The SME Chamber said its initiative was tailor-made for the COVID-19 pandemic, and “proved effective in filling a gap in support that businesses desperately needed.”

On a social level business owners were looking for guidance and, as social partners, the Chamber said it had a responsibility to fill that roll.

Business owners turned to the Chamber for assistance on eligibility and applications for support schemes, as well as constructive dialogue on how to come out of the crisis stronger, it added.

The SME platform enabled members to share experiences and look positively to the future – more than 100 people took part in each of the tailored webinars on topics such as: cash flow, mental resilience, business re-engineering and online fraud.

"By adapting our activity to cover all areas of business impacted by COVID-19, as communicated by our stakeholders, and by addressing the so called COVID sore points, our organization has established itself as the central point of support, whether it is mental health, economic support or community efforts," said SME Chamber CEO Abigail Mamo.

The EESC, an advisory body representing Europe's civil society at the EU level, selected the Malta Chamber of SMEs as the best Maltese candidate for the prize, saying its entry stood as a shining example of remarkable solidarity during the COVID-19 crisis.

Other Maltese candidates who competed for the EESC prize also submitted high-quality projects. Those include the projects run by Caritas and Inspirasia Foundation, such as Malta Together.

The Maltese Chamber was among 23 projects from the EU and the UK that have received the award for their outstanding contribution to fighting COVID-19 and its disastrous consequences.

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