The Competitiveness and Communications Ministry portfolio is relatively new. I must say that the creation of this new portfolio last March coincided with an exciting time that poses new challenges for Malta as a member of the European Union.

As a new EU state, our vision is about creating wealth and employment through an effort to concentrate our resources on making sure the population has an even wider access to opportunities to succeed. This vision compliments the agreement reached at the Lisbon summit by EU heads of state and government on an ambitious goal to make the European Union “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world”.

One of the five pillars of the Lisbon strategy is innovation and research. The electronic communications sector has a strategic role to play in this, in delivering innovative services that will allow the wider economy, and society as a whole, to realise the benefits of the information society.

It is therefore incumbent upon my ministry to ensure that the communications sector in Malta is continuously updated to meet, on the one hand, Malta’s commitment towards attaining an information-based socio-economic environment that is conducive to enhancing Malta’s competitiveness and productivity growth and, on the other hand, Europe’s goal as set by the Lisbon strategy.

It is a recognised fact that Malta’s maturity in e-governance and e-society compares favour-ably with the European norm. Alongside important steps, such as the full liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, Malta has been an active participant in the eEurope process.

The government has led a concerted effort in engaging all sectors of the economy, civil society and the administration to develop a broadly agreed national information and communication technologies (ICT) strategy. This strategy has been developed in such a way that the targets set out by the world summit on an Information Society Plan of Action are adopted as our targets. We have also taken up the objectives mapped out in the eEurope 2005 plan. Malta’s strategy is to attract the interest of ICT multi-nationals and independent software providers to secure synergies that would be beneficial to them as well as to our people.

In its mission to transform Malta into an “ICT centre of excellence” and to step up its efforts towards the growth of its ICT product, the government has entered into partnerships with major multinational information communications and technology firms; the latest in a series of such strategic alliances was announced two weeks ago. These strategic alliances demonstrate the commitment of international ICT firms to the implementation of government’s national ICT strategy, which focuses on ICT education, the ICT industry and the narrowing of the digital divide.

The electronic communications sector remains one of the key drivers to economic growth worldwide. The speed of electronic communications, particularly information communi-

cation technologies, is transforming our way of living by improving all aspects of our social, economic and cultural life.

However, the uneven spread of ICTs is creating new challenges, notably the emergence of digital divides. In order to get equal and maximum benefit from the continued growth of this sector, the world community needs to increase its efforts to achieve global cooperation and harmonisation in this area.

In this context, Malta subscribes to the views being developed in the ITU World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), and shares the aspiration of the creation of a worldwide information society, wherein all members of the worldwide community can enjoy a tangible improvement in their quality of life.

I believe that ICT serves as a crucial tool for achieving economic progress. This should be attained at all social levels, thus ensuring that, through communicating, people become closer. Governments, social partners and the private sector are all key players, working jointly to achieve such an environment, and this is also happening in Malta. As members of a European single market encompassing over 450 million citizens, we have to play leading roles in the provision of such services. This entices our competitiveness as a nation while ensuring that domestic consumers are provided with the best quality of service and competitive tariffs throughout the sector.

World leaders are also focusing on the strategic role which ICT can play in reducing poverty and creating opportunities for long-term development.

So far, the International Communications Union (ITU) has proved that it is capable of meeting its challenges. However, there is no doubt that the unprecedented transformation the world is undergoing, as the industrial society that marked the 20th century rapidly gives way to the information society of the 21st century, will pose a much bigger and further reaching challenge to the ITU in the future. These challenges are set to have major implications on the future role of the ITU.

Given that ITU’s involvement in extending the benefits of the information society to all is one of the main purposes of the Union, it is felt that, notwithstanding the significant progress that has been made on ITU reform, the Union must continually endeavour to reconfirm and consolidate its place in bridging the digital divide.

The emergence of e-commerce as a way of trading emanates from the transition of the global economy from one with an industrial focus to one based on knowledge and information. This metamorphosis is presenting unprecedented opportunities and challenges in many economies around the globe.

E-commerce is radically transforming the global markets – from the classic and traditional utility companies to the trendy dot coms. Its impact is already being

felt across the full range

of businesses, government and citizens.

Together with business partners, we need to create an environment which encourages rapid dissemination of e-commerce knowledge and best practice. It has to be admitted that this is no easy task.

As well as learning from international experience, Malta, which has made great strides forward in the communications sector, is determined to contribute to and participate in the ITU by pledging its commitment to continue being a very active member of this organisation. The challenge facing most local businesses today is how to gather the relevant information they need to take informed decisions about their future strategies in order to retain a competitive edge.

Everyone in Malta recognises that small businesses are vital to our economy. However, some local small businesses are finding it difficult to formulate the appropriate response to the e-commerce challenge.

The government is working hard to provide these businesses with proactive advice and support to overcome this problem. It is important that we work with business partners to assist businesses through all the stages. From going on-line to designing their website and accepting orders and payments on-line, the Government is helping the private sector to explore initiatives that will further assist the evolution of ICT in business.

On the other hand, we believe that a market-place’s effectiveness is directly proportional to the volume of business that takes place in it. We need to join forces with both business and consumer representatives to explore ways and means of making the Maltese aware of this unique opportunity.

I therefore believe that it is extremely important for governments, not only in Malta but all over the world, to discuss what we must do and seek collaborative efforts to come up with tangible recommendations to use information and communications technology to create new long-term opportunities in the world.

The ITU certainly has the ability to carry out its mission and find ways to exploit information technology for the benefit of humankind as a whole.

Censu Galea is Competitiveness and Communications Minister