Mellieħa council, Junior Achievement win National Enterprise Support Awards

Mellieħa council and Junior Achievement (Young Enterprise) have won National Enterprise Support Awards, each receiving cash rewards of €30,000.

Both have been nominated to participate in the annual European Enterprise Awards, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry.

The awards aim to identify and reward successful national and cross-border initiatives undertaken by public authorities, as well as by public-private partnerships within the EU, in Norway, Serbia and Turkey.

First held in 2006, these awards give participants an opportunity to showcase and share examples of best entrepreneurship policies and practices, create a higher awareness of the role that entrepreneurs play in society, and encourage and inspire potential entrepreneurs.

A national panel selected the winning entries according to four criteria: originality and feasibility, the impact on the local economy, the improvement of local stakeholder relations, and transferability of the project to other regions in Europe. Candidates were also expected to demonstrate how their initiatives have increasingly facilitated business and boosted their region’s economy during the two-year period before the award year.

Runners-up Ħamrun council and the Local Council Association each received a cash reward of €20,000. Six other councils – Vittoriosa, Għarb, Qormi, Siġġiewi, Marsascala and Għaxaq – received cash prizes of €5,000 each.

More information about the European Enterprise Awards is available at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/best-practices/european-enterpriseawards/index_en.htm .