Business competitiveness is the cornerstone that supports social welfare and environmental sustainability, according to the Malta Business Bureau.

"There can be neither social well-being nor sustainable environmental policies in the country unless competitiveness of Maltese business is actively pursued, promoted and sustained at the very core of all relevant EU and national decision-making processes," MBB president George Micallef told Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi during a meeting at Castille. They discussed a range of issues likely to feature high on the European Parliament's upcoming agenda, including the new Lisbon Strategy, the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the restructuring of the research and development funding instruments.

In May, the bureau presented its considerations on such topics to all MEP candidates for last June's elections through a business manifesto they officially presented to Dr Gonzi.

Mr Micallef called on MEPs to select the committees they would be actively participating in with a judicious and balanced sense of national responsibility.