German Commercial interests in Malta are as varied as they are strong, and this is what prompted me to kick off this project. As I went along, I gathered support from various organisations and individuals who, in their own way, helped me to finalise what I have had in mind for quite some time.

Our mission is to foster and improve commercial and economic relations between Germany and Malta, as well as to act as a platform for the exchange of ideas and information with commercial enterprises and governments of both countries.

Our aim is to promote business opportunities for our members by exploiting Malta's geographical situation for German counterparts, not only to operate in Malta but also from Malta. This concept is very important now that the Maltese people have approved the country's membership of the European Union.

The German-Maltese Chamber of Commerce will be acting as an umbrella organisation congregating all those various economic, financial, business and trade players with German interest who operate in, from and to Malta.

Our members will be provided with various services to help in the everyday running of their enterprise. We are working on providing information and giving advice on all areas of interest to our members.

We will be setting up a structure to mediate, maintain and develop further the business relations between enterprises of both countries; to initiate and maintain contacts between interested business circles of both countries.

We are here to safeguard the economic interest of parties involved in trade relations with German and Maltese government agencies, public corporations and authorities. We will also collect and circulate information through different publications (news- letters, annual reports, leaflets and other publications) about the economic situation in Germany and Malta, and the status and development of economic and commercial policies so that we provide information on prospects of sales, procurement and investment in both countries.

Another important role we will be fulfilling is that of organising public and private events, such as press conferences, information seminars, symposia and discussions, and to participate actively in similar events organised by third parties which are of benefit to our members.

Together with our lawyer, we are also working to create a mechanism within the Chamber so that we will be in a position to mediate in case of disputes between the parties involved in bilateral commerce.

Another important development brought about by the creation of the Chamber is that the German pavilion at the International Fair of Malta will be entrusted to us as the Chamber of German-Maltese businesses.

This participation at the fair, as well as participation in other fairs which will surely come in the future, will enhance the German presence in Maltese industry and promote the great commercial cohesion between the two countries.

These are just a few ideas of what we intend to do. Our Chamber - like any other initiative - will be successful as much as its members want it to be. We are ready to work.

The founder members - Brandstätter Malta, Hetronic Malta Ltd, Kempinski San Lawrenz Resort, Kind's Auto Sales Ltd, Lufthansa Technik Malta Ltd, Continental Cars Ltd and Sicons Opto Products Malta Ltd - have laid the foundations.

We have also obtained support from the Malta Chamber of Commerce and are committed to foster a working relationship with them to help each other in achieving results, which are common for both organisations.

I take this opportunity to invite all those who fulfil our prerequisites for membership to come forward and actively participate in this new initiative, as the Chamber will foster the interests of its members through the medium of closer contacts between the business enterprises of both countries.

It is by putting our energy together that we can bring forward our common interest as Maltese entrepreneurs with German interest to put our concerns and priorities on the country's agenda.

Concluding, I owe a big thank-you to Georg Merten, Ambassador of the German Federal Republic to Malta, for his constant support. Special thanks to the president and council members of the German-Maltese Circle, who not only nurtured this idea but also gave me a free hand in my efforts to make it happen.

I am also grateful to all my collaborators for their input in the gestation period prior to the launch of our Chamber.