On 3 October 2007, the Parliamentary Secreatraiat for Small Business and the Self-Employed organized a half-day conference focusing on the participation of Maltese SMEs in European Union programmes. During his opening speech at the conference ‘Insahhu l-Potenzjal tan-Negozji Zghar Maltin fl-Ewropa’, Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo, explained to the participants present that his Secretariat has been successful in involving 300 enterprise owners and self-employed to take part in EU projects. Present for this conference were representatives from constituted bodies, the self-employed and owners of small enterprises and their unions.

Among those businesses which participated and benefitted from these projects were carpenters, beauticians, farmers, engineers, aluminium shops, clothes shops, boat builders, ceramicists, small hotel owners, butchers and tour operators. The agricultural sector also received aid to install new machinery, to provide training, and to develop agri-tourism.

This Conference was addressed by Dr Gabriella Pace, CEO at Forum Malta fl-Ewropa, Dr Joanna Drake, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Malta, and Mauro Pace Parascandolo, EUPA’s National Coordinator. Six workshops were also conducted by Joe Farrugia (Malta Employers Association), Paul Abela (GRTU), Dr Vanessa Borg (Malta Institute of Management), George Schembri (MHRA), Ray Muscat (FOI) and Kevin Borg (Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise).