Standards and the consumer

I am confident that each and every one of us, at some stage or another, has expressed to himself, or herself, the desire that our nation’s overall delivery, within all of its sectors, is enhanced to the extent that their respective performances reach optimal conditions. This in some way or another, I believe, reflects the common belief that we share between us. It is of a mutual understanding that service providers deliver a highly satisfactory service to their customers, and at the end line, that the customer receives a high level of service from its provider.

This is all about standards. We seek in our everyday life to ensure that what we, as citizens, consume or make use of – services or products – carry the highest attainable standards. It is ourselves who have realised that, as consumers, we have fundamental rights, which have to be observed.

That is why, in fact, many public and private institutions today house, within their structure, centres of customer care, have achieved performance certification in the areas of their individual competence, or restructured their operations to make sure that they meet today’s required standards. Within an ever-changing world, these elements are vital for their overall performance and their customers’ satisfaction.

Being competitive

This is what standards are all about. If we are aiming at enhancing our nation’s overall delivery, standards are one of the main pillars upon which we have to base our relevant operations. In my view, the term “competitiveness”, for which I am responsible as minister, is an area which should not be referred to just for the sake of doing so. One has to delve deep into its real significance and in deriving its main components, discuss with all those concerned the ideal objectives to focus upon.

Therefore, as optimal delivery by service providers is acquired through, amongst others, the certification of standards, competitiveness lies in a constant symbiosis with the implementation of this concept.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development, which today governments around Europe view as one of their priorities, being also integrated into the European Union objectives, calls for the use of a wider range of tools for environmental policy.

In fact the sixth Community Environmental Action Pro-gramme, “Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice”, recognises this and aims to be a programme that “completes and reinforces our body of environmental legislation” while doing “more in terms of mobilising stakeholders for the environment and ‘greening’ the market”.

Activities, products and services carrying, among others, the correct environmental obligations are of an added benefit to a sustainable development.

Within this concept, an environmental policy can be achieved through the promotion of information, an awareness of and commitment to citizens and the business community, the right incentives for environmental improvements in the market place and ensuring the integration of the environment into other policies.

We have already, as a nation, made giant strides forward within these parameters – but yet, together, much more still has to be done.

An environmental awareness

The environmental awareness present around us in Malta is a result of what we have been advocating throughout these years – that is a sustainable and cleaner environment. A few years ago, the environment was a mere non-issue among our citizens; a few years later it became a priority. And therefore the commitment to, and the respective implementation of, pertinent environmental policies is another standard which improves our delivery as a nation, and therefore an added value to ensuring our competitiveness, internally and beyond.

This government’s main goals are two-fold, concentrating besides several other factors, mainly on “competitiveness” and the “environment”, and the commitment of those present during an EMAS Standard seminar held by the European Commission and the Malta Standards Authority, was a clear manifestation of their pledge to collaborate in the attainment of our aims.

Ten years after their inception, it is a recognised fact that local councils are key players in our daily life, instilling the concept of having a local government close to its citizens. Therefore, as a result of such, they also have an important influence on the environmental behaviour of their locality.

Other authorities present during the seminar, who have also, together with a number of local councils, shown their commitment to the implementation of this scheme, are main elements of our country’s service providers.

Environmental standards

It is therefore with this in mind that The Malta Standards Authority, together with the Directorate General for Environment of the European Commission, has organised a workshop on the Eco-Management Audit Scheme, widely known as EMAS, specifically targeted at local councils and authorities.

The introduction of such environmental management systems within local councils and authorities can help them achieve this by providing a structured framework for managing and improving their own performance, whilst integrating the aims of sustainable development into their policies and actions.

This scheme is now also being utilised by local councils around Europe as a system that leads to the improvement of the environment in their locality.

As I already had the occasion of explaining when launching this project for the very first time a few weeks ago, the EMAS is a voluntary scheme for organisations willing to commit themselves to evaluate and improve their environmental performance. EMAS Regulations came into force in Malta on 1 May 2004 and as a result of this, ST Microelectronics (Malta) was one of the very first companies within the new EU member states to

benefit from the certification.

The MSA has been provided with over E300,000 in EU funds to promote the scheme to authorities and businesses while also supporting local councils in its implementation. The time is ripe for action, and everyone shoulders the responsibility to accomplish our common aims.

A national commitment

One has to also note that a good number of local councils, including Naxxar, Qrendi, Victoria, Gozo, Pieta, Marsa, Lija, Tarxien, Mellieha, Marsascala, Msida, Gharghur, St Julian’s, Fgura, Kirkop, Santa Venera, Xaghra and Senglea, together with domestic authorities such as the Water Services Corporation, the Malta Environmental and Planning Agency (Mepa), WasteServ, the Malta Tourism Authority, Malta Enterprise, the Department of Local Government and others have realised the benefits of environmental audit and certification as being of paramount importance to their credibility and performance when acting as service providers.

Tourism is a case in point. With one third of our economy depending entirely upon the provision of tourism services, Malta has to keep abreast of European and worldwide standards, thus ensuring that it is on a level playing field when competing with others in the attraction of potential tourists.

What we are aiming at

Since last April, the Malta Standards Authority, for which I am also responsible, was established as the EU EMAS competent body for Malta. The workshop held recently is a further step in the right direction. It is creating awareness to the acquisition of standards, coupled with the assurance of an optimal delivery of service, which lead to our aim of competitiveness. I sincerely hope that many others will follow suit and recognise that these are today’s requirements – no one can afford to be left behind.

The future

We are living within a market of 450 million consumers, surrounded by a vast number of entities providing an array of vital, essential or occasional services. Be it providers on behalf of the government, the private or any other public entity, we have all, in some way or another, sought to make use of their service.

A sustainable development within a competitive market is a priority for this government. I am confident that the commitment of all those willing to implement standards in the proceedings of their operations, can translate concepts and ideals into realities.

This can be done through the realisation of our choices.

We have nothing to lose, but much more to gain.