The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has urged European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso to put in motion an urgent and strong European response to the crises unfolding in North Africa, especially Libya.
In a letter to Mr Barroso, the chamber said that the immediate impact of the unrest in North Africa has been the creation of a humanitarian crises with citizens from all the over the world fleeing or attempting to flee Libya.
This has resulted in a huge surge in the number of people attempting to enter Europe illegally mainly via the Mediterranean Sea. This was putting the infrastructural, human and financial resources of neighbouring countries especially Italy and Malta under severe pressure.
Malta had also acted as the logistical base for the transportation of thousands of citizens from over 90 countries. This too was putting Malta’s resources under severe strain.
The chamber emphasised, however, that this crisis also had a business dimension.
“The sudden business disruption across North Africa is inflicting serious business and financial consequences on European entrepreneurs.
“Certain businesses across Europe have specialised and developed their markets in North Africa to such an extent that they have become highly dependent on them.
“These companies are facing loss of contracts and business exposure within a scenario of exceptional uncertainty. “
The chamber urged President Barroso to set in motion EU structures and mechanisms which provide concrete and urgent support to those Euro-Med countries that are currently facing considerable difficulties arising from the North Africa situation.
It pointed out that what was happening did not only concern EU neighbouring states.
“Instability in the region will have an impact across the whole of the EU and, therefore, the situation requires a strong European response which has so far been lacking.
“From the Malta Chamber’s point of view it is also a clear opportunity for the EU to show that it truly has the value of solidarity at its very core.”
Through its employer representative, the chamber is also lobbying the European Economic and Social Committee to support this call and has also written to Eurochambres and BusinessEurope, the leading pan-European organisations representing the employer organisations of Europe, to issue an urgent statement calling for concrete support from the European Institutions to the Euro-Med countries.