The GRTU expects the Prime Minister to direct the country’s authorities to implement a programme which makes a difference for small and medium enterprises in Malta.

In a statement it issued following the publication of the EU SMEs annual report, the GRTU said it was a shame that only one per cent of state aid given by the Maltese government to enterprises, was enjoyed by small enterprises.

Small and micro enterprises in Malta, it said, made up 99 per cent of all enterprises and employed about 77 per cent of workers.

The GRTU said the government promised it last November that it would start implementing a micro credit scheme for small enterprises but it was now saying the implementation would start in September. This was nearly a year later.

The report said that small and medium enterprises in Malta contributed 64 per cent of the gross domestic product against the 36 per cent created by large enterprises.