On the 1st of July 2011, The Maltese Italian Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Ragusa, The Industrial Development Cluster, Confederation of Artisans, Province and Local Council of Ragusa, Association of Property Developers, Consortia of Traders ” Isole Iblee”, Consortia of Hoteliers, Comiso Airport and other private Businessmen, organised a seminar called “Doing Business with Ragusa”, which was held a The George Hotel Malta.
Present for the seminar, there were representatives of many Italian and Maltese entities, who explained the relationship between Malta and Sicily, in particular, with the city of Ragusa.
Dr. Mario Papa, the moderator, gave a brief introduction. The Italian Ambassador, S.E. Efisio Luigi Marras, said that the business relationship between Malta and Ragusa has grown throughout the years, but in some ways it has to be revised and improved. He also said that with a bit of effort, further strengthening can be achieved between the two countries. More investment, joint ventures and support to projects proposed by young entrepreneurs are necessary to strengthen the relationship between the
two islands. Apart from the economic relations, the two islands have a strong relationship because of their geographical proximity and similarities in historical events. Actually many initiatives are already activated to further minimize the distance between the cities: for example, the project “Handy Cup” is the proof of this. The President of the Maltese Italian Chamber of Commerce, Marcello Basile-Cherubino said that the movement by sea between Malta and Sicily has been active since 1988 and exports between Sicily and Malta is around 350 million euros. The first step to reach the targets proposed, is to strengthen the already growing flow of personnel and equipment between the two islands. There are many products that are imported from Sicily, but there has to be more investment in real estate and tourism, as well as innovative products. It would be ideal to have more initiatives that promote the opportunities that the island of Malta can offer.
Present for the event there were also representatives of institutions of Ragusa, to present the potentials of the “ibleo” territory, and explained the similarities and differences between Malta and Ragusa: Giuseppe Cascone – President of the Chamber of Commerce of Ragusa, emphasised on the importance of Malta in trade activities as it is in the centre of the Mediterranean; Rosario Alescio – Chairman of the Industrial Area of Ragusa, expalained the need for cooperation programs between Malta and Ragusa, in tourism, infrastructure and credit sectors, were relationships are still developing; Giuseppe Massari – Provincial President CNA (Artisans’Association) said that Malta’s entry into the European Union can strengthen the relationship between the two islands, through the combination of know-how and skills of the craftsmen of Ragusa, the knowledge of English of the Maltese operators and Malta’s geographical position. In fact, its proximity to Africa could be an advantage for a possible start of a business relationship with the Libyan, Algerian and Tunisian markets; Giuseppe Grassia – Provincial President ANCE (Association of Manufacturers) said that the first step of alliance between the south-east of Sicily and Malta is feasible through the systems and the development of any activities aimed to promote enterprises and innovation in the sectors, while respecting the traditions, folkloric and cultural heritage; Vincenzo Muriana – Provincial Councillor for Economic Development, presented the Sicilian products such as m
ilk, chocolate, wine, oil, fruit and vegetables and animal breeding; Giovanni Corallo – President Consortium Iblee Islands explained the role of the consortium, a consortium that brought together many companies, both commercial and industrial. Entrepreneurs from different sectors such as manufacturing, service providers, distribution, steel industry and the photovoltaic sector have decided to join the network in order to share their knowledge and therefore this allows better cooperation and communication between the operators themselves.
Mr. Alan Cordina, from Virtu Ferries, said that the company is working hard to achieve competitive prices and consequently, lower prices for the Sicilian businessmen wishing to export raw materials and their products in Malta. He also said that Virtu Ferries is willing to deal directly with operators to reach an individual agreement.
Mr. Michael Falzon – President of the Malta Developers Association explained the similarities and differences between Ragusa and Malta, he also highlighted some of the difficulties the operators come across when doing business between the two islands, like problems with the electrical system in Malta as well as problems due to the tax on the transfer of property. He also said that the development of a joint venture would be one of the most appropriate solutions; Emmanuel Mazitelli from Malta Enterprise explained the economic situation in Malta and described Malta as “an island of opportunity to do business”. He explained that Malta offers a lot incenti
ves and advantages with regards to the tax systems and that a lot of effort is being done, for Malta to be amongst the top 10 countries in computer science sector. He also said that Malta is a centre of excellence in many areas, such as health services, industrial operations, financial services, tourism, information technology, aviation industry, training and education; Peter Sant – Bank of Valletta explained the situation of loans and mortgages in Malta. He said that many Italian companies, today are exporting to Malta (350 million euros) and that Malta should not only be considered as an importer but the target is also to consider Malta as a good point for an export activity. This is possible because the Maltese banks are offering a lot of possibilities and opportunities for investment in Malta, which are more advantageous than those offered by Italian banks.
The seminar ended at 14:00 hrs and after there were meetings one to one between institutions and operators.
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