Valletta business owners and residents claim they are being kept in the dark about how this week’s migration summit will affect them and are expressing concern about a loss of business.

Forty-three heads of government, including the leaders of 26 EU member states, have confirmed their attendance at the summit, being held in Valletta on November 11 and 12.

The police clarified yesterday that multiple roads in and around the capital would be closed at different times between Tuesday and Thursday.

The closures, including most of the main access routes to Valletta, will restrict traffic and at times stop it completely.

“How am I or my staff supposed to get in to work in Valletta if all the roads are closed? And, how are my customers going to get to me? There’s no point in opening at all,” shop owner Clint Micallef told The Sunday Times of Malta.

Despite the announced closures, several shop, restaurant and café owners had conflicting ideas about how the summit would affect their businesses.

“The council, the police and the government haven’t told me how I will be affected.

“Meanwhile, the bar next door to me has been told not to open. How does that make any sense at all? This is a big mess,” café owner Anthony Zarb said.

Residents too said they had not been warned over what to expect. “I had to read about road closures in the Times of Malta. I live here and I don’t think it’s fair that I should be kept in the dark about this,” Tamara Cauchi said.

Several cafes and eateries in Valletta yesterday told this newspaper they had been instructed to remove all outdoor furniture during the summit.

Some had only been told to do so on certain days, others only during certain hours and some had been told nothing at all, despite seemingly taking up the same patch of pavement as neighbouring businesses.

Other cafes were disputing instructions to remove furniture, such as the popular Café Cordina which had been told to remove all tables and chairs from Republic Street.

The establishment’s manager yesterday said all of its furniture was set up in Republic Square and did not obstruct Republic Street.

What will happen to Valletta residents?

Monti hawkers were unsure whether they would be operating or not.

“I don’t think we’ll set up, even if we are allowed to. How will we drive our vans in to do so? As usual they’ll tell us what to do at the very last minute,” one hawker said.

Meanwhile, several stores said they had been informed by their suppliers that deliveries would not be made to Valletta next week.

“I was told to get a double order of milk and bread as no deliveries will be made for the next few days,” one convenience store owner said.

Valletta mayor Alexie Dingli also weighed in on the matter. Writing on Facebook, he said it was “ridiculous” that Valletta would be paralysed in the coming weeks because of the summit and subsequent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at the end of the month.

He said there had been no consultation whatsoever with the council and other stakeholders to try and come up with logistical solutions.

“What will happen to Valletta residents? Will they be prisoners in their own homes? What about the elderly who need to go to hospital? What about the shops? Are they going to open for nothing? What about the workers and visitors? Will they spend hours queuing to come to Valletta?” he wrote.

Paul Abela, who heads the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises, told The Sunday Times of Malta that he had been inundated with complaints form members, and was considering issuing a call for compensation.

“It is unacceptable that businesses should have to suffer because of an event like this. Anyone who says the event will generate business is wrong. Do you think that the French President is going to go shopping or stop off at cafes?

“I don’t think so,” Mr Abela said. He said that the GRTU had been trying to find out who was responsible for organising logistics for the event but no one seemed to be taking responsibility.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone in control. The stakeholders have no idea what the logistical plan for this is, and it’s really starting to show,” he said.