Some 50 international companies examining investment opportunities enquired about Malta’s business environment and the island’s offering at a conference organised by Malta Enterprise at the EIRE expo in Milan.

With EIRE attracting some of Europe’s major stakeholders in real estate and infrastructure, the companies expressed particular interest in Malta as a gateway to other neighbouring markets such as post-revolution Libya, which offers myriad opportunities within this industry as it goes through a reconstruction process.

Malta Enterprise’s chief officer for trade, investment and enterprise support Joe Schembri highlighted the country’s strategic location in the middle of the Euro-Med region and its cost-effective environment, the availability of a highly-skilled and multilingual workforce, and the possibilities of doing business in North Africa through Malta.

There were four testimonials by representatives of companies based in Malta with investment in North Africa who spoke about their experience of Malta’s benefits and attractiveness for investors interested in the region.

Spread across an area of 35,000 square metres, the EIRE expo attracts around 15,000 visitors every year and is the ideal venue for industry stakeholders particularly international architects, project developers and investors to learn about opportunities within the sector or present their own projects and initiatives.

Malta Enterprise was present with a stand to answer numerous queries about the island’s advantageous business environment and the assistance and support available to facilitate investment.