In a letter to Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea, the federation explained that, up to last April, Malta-based exporters used to furnish their export clients with such certificates prepared by the port health services. This certificate was issued by the department based on periodical checks carried out throughout the year on the manufacturers’ premises.

Prior to legal notice 134 of 2004, these certificates were issued free of charge by the Health Department, but the legal notice has imposed a fee of Lm25. Such certificates are often a legal requisite of the importing country and it is impossible to pass on this charge to the export client.

The federation strongly believes that this charge is definitely disproportionate to the real cost of issuing such a certificate and keeps adding to the excessive port charges which are already amongst the highest in Europe.

The FOI has requested an urgent meeting to review this matter, which it has been raising with the respective authorities over the past few months, as it strongly believes that the charge is contributing further to the erosion of our exporters’ competitiveness. The federation is also awaiting the minister’s intervention to resolve this issue with the Department of Health.