Commerce Department turns down application for Naxxar trade fair

In a statement issued late on Friday night, the Director-General Commerce explained how the application had been considered “without prejudice to its appeals".

“Following careful consideration the application for a commercial fair from the grounds in question has been denied,” the Director-General Commerce insisted. In its statement, the Director-General explained how on 14 April 2010, TFEA Limited had applied to hold a commercial fair from the former trade fair grounds at Naxxar. TFEA Limited had indicated that the said grounds were licensed to hold fairs citing reactivated Licence 44/130”, and that the license issued in 1975  was “to keep an office for the managing of the Malta International Fair at Nos 4 &5,Gwejda Street Naxxar”, not to hold fairs from the said grounds.

In view of this, TFEA Ltd had been informed that their application for a commercial licence could not be considered, the D-G Commerce added, saying that for each fair that was held in Malta, a commercial fair licence was needed. Before the issuing of such licence could be considered, the applicant must show that the premises from where the fair was to held had a trading licence to hold fairs according to the law.

Only yesterday, TFEA Limited had announced that after a six-month legal battle, the Malta International Trade Fair would return to Naxxar after the First Hall of the Civil Court had cleared the re-activation of a permit with immediate effect. With the Commerce Director-General’s latest decision, it seems that the legal battle was likely to resume.

This meant that after an absence of a three-year period of absence, the Malta International Trade Fair was scheduled be organised in Naxxar by TFEA between 16 July and 25 July 2010. Addressing a one-hour press conference at the Marquis Scicluna Hall, TFEA Limited Chairman Paul Abela had explained how the last Court judgement had been the last chapter in a tug-of-war between the Trade Department, MFCC, and the former exhibitors at Naxxar.

When TFEA had originally announced on January 4 this year that it had the intention to re-organise the International Trade Fair at Naxxar between 24 June 2010 and 4 July 2010, little did they anticipate the bureaucratic hassle that the authorities would pose before allowing the fair to be held there.