The government has agreed to issue temporary visas to Libyan businessmen to travel to Malta to conduct business with their Maltese counterparts.
This was revealed by the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, Anton Borg, when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs, which discussed the impact of the Libyan situation on local companies and businesses.
Mr Borg said that, because of the current situation, it was much easier for Libyan businessmen to come to Malta than for the Maltese to travel there.
He said the chamber had proposed the issue of temporary visas for Libyan businessmen to attend board meetings in Malta and enter into negotiations with Maltese.
The visa would be issued for a 90-day period and would be handed over upon arrival in Malta. It would not be valid for travel in other Schengen countries. Maltese companies would be held responsible for the visa holders.
Maltese companies would be held responsible for the visa holders
Mr Borg said the government had accepted the proposal although discussions were being held to iron out some minor difficulties.
Earlier, Malta Enterprise chairman Mario Vella gave a presentation on the economic impact of the situation in Libya on Maltese businesses.
He said exports had amounted to €85 million in 2010, rose to €138 million in 2013 but fell back to €123 million in 2014 due to a worsening of the situation on the ground. In the first quarter of 2015, €23 million worth of exports had been registered.
Dr Vella referred to assistance that had been given to Maltese companies to facilitate their cash flow, including easing of VAT and income tax payments and other matters. This was corroborated by the Chamber of Commerce chairman who praised the attention and assistance given by Malta Enterprise.
Dr Vella said the situation in Libya showed that Maltese companies had structural problems and that the alternative lay in diversifying their activities to Algeria, Tunisia and sub-Saharan countries.
Malta, he said, had opened a consular office in Algiers and a business delegation to Algeria had been oversubscribed. Maltese businessmen had achieved surprising success in doing business with sub-Saharan countries. A Malta representative with experience in marketing in African countries had been posted to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Opportunities existed in East and in West Africa.
Mr Vella called for the opening of more consular offices in other African countries, saying that Malta already had honorary consuls for the Cameroon and for Botswana. Maltese construction companies were operating in the sub Sahara and they needed to form consortia to be able to take on large projects.
Joe Farrugia from the Malta Employers Association said there were no strong fluctuations in terms of employment mainly because employees had definite contracts. Companies kept these workers on because of their experience.
Frank Farrugia from the Chamber of Commerce said Maltese companies previously operating in the Libyan market, and which had diversified their business, could not find enough technicians and skilled employees and had requested permission to import foreign workers.