What are Malta's main attractions for foreign investors? How did such attractions change over the past year? What actions are required to improve Malta's offer for foreign investment? What happened to Europe's attractiveness for investment? How can Europe reinvent its growth?
These issues will be discussed at a conference that will present the Ernst & Young surveys relating to Malta's and Europe's investment attractiveness for 2009. Mario Galea, managing partner of Ernst & Young Malta, is confident that the Malta survey results provide valuable guidance to policy-makers in improving Malta's value proposition for foreign companies that are already based in Malta.
Mr Galea said: "This is the fifth edition of the Malta Attractiveness Survey. I am proud that, together with the generous contribution of 101 top executives of foreign-owned companies in Malta, Ernst & Young is giving its share in providing ground information on foreign direct investment in Malta."
The Malta Attractiveness Survey is a survey among 101 companies registered in Malta which are at least 50 per cent owned by non-Maltese shareholders. The companies employ around 12,500 people.
The survey explores various aspects of Malta's investment attractiveness for these companies to retain, expand or develop their activities. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews that were carried out between March and April 2009. The Malta Attractiveness Survey results will be presented by Ronald Attard, partner, Transaction Advisory Services.
The Ernst & Young European Attractiveness Survey is based on a two-fold, original methodology. It reflects Europe's real attractiveness for foreign direct investors, based on Ernst & Young's European Investment Monitor and the "perceived" attractiveness of Europe and its competitors by a representative panel of over 800 international decision-makers. The European Attractiveness Survey results will be presented by Jan Siemons.
Jan Siemons is a partner with Ernst & Young and managing director of the Real Estate Advisory Services. He is one of the leaders of the International Location Advisory Services.
The conference, which will be moderated by Fr Joe Borg from the University of Malta, will be addressed by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Finance Minister Tonio Fenech. The panel that will discuss the findings of the survey include Michael Bonello, Governor, Central Bank of Malta, Helga Ellul, CEO, Playmobil, Margrith Lutschg-Emmenegger, president, FIMBank Group, Philip Micallef, chairman, Malta Communications Authority, Claudio Grech, CEO SmartCity Malta and John Vassallo, vice-president EU Affairs and associate general counsel, Microsoft.
The conference will be held on July 15 at the Grand Ballroom, Phoenicia Hotel. Those who would like to attend the conference can register by calling Alison Whitehead on 2347 1520 or send an e-mail to events.malta@mt.ey.com by Monday.