The government is committed to improve the position of small businesses by being more business friendly, according to the Parliamentary Secretary for Small Businesses and the Self-Employed, Edwin Vassallo.

Mr Vassallo was speaking at a conference which discussed the half-yearly report on the government’s plan of work for small businesses, which includes 44 initiatives.

The report, he said, was evidence of the government’s commitment. It showed all the work that has been carried out so far in implementing the initiatives as outlined in the work plan, said Mr Vassallo.

“The government believes in business and this year in particular, we aim to create a synergy between every entity that is somehow linked to the business sector, so that they will always be open to business,” he said.

Mr Vassallo saw the main challenge for the government as winning over competition. There was higher activity in the commercial sector but the country had to be more competitive because it was now operating in a more open market.

There was also competition between Maltese localities as was particularly demonstrated last Christmas, when businesses in different localities tried to come together to attract customers in a number of ways, he said.

Mr Vassallo said the government would continue working to help businesses remain competitive and possibly improve.

He said the implementation of the work plan this year focused on three particular sectors – education and training, improving the infrastructure and reducing bureaucracy.

An inter-ministerial effort was under way to implement the work plan. “We cannot work alone if we want to overcome this phenomenon and find the best solutions for our small businesses. Continuous consultation with the whole commercial sector will also help increase employment opportunities and improve competitiveness,” he said.