With a little more than four months left before Malta’s euro-day, our country has once again received praise for its successful information campaign. The European Commission has again chosen Malta’s euro changeover committee to provide information and guidance for yet another EU member state.
Following the assistance being provided to Cyprus, the National Euro Changeover Committee will now also be helping Slovakia, which hopes to start using the single European currency by January 2009.
Our Mediterranean neighbour Cyprus will also be experiencing the changeover next January, but Malta had proven to be far ahead with regard to preparations for this important event.
The NECC will be hosting a delegation from the National Bank of Slovakia, who will be familiarising themselves with initiatives undertaken by the local changeover committee.
The Slovak delegation will follow presentations on the various aspects of the NECC campaign. Among the topics, one finds the multi-annual communications strategy, the national training strategy, the media and public relations management framework, the business awareness campaign and the euro curriculum in schools.
This proves that Malta’s strategies for the euro changeover are of the highest quality and are inclusive.
Following the much effective FAIR scheme, which helped preparation for the euro changeover in a gradual, smooth, and cost-effective manner, the NECC is now reaching agreements under the price stability agreement with various companies.
The price stability agreement, which goes beyond the commitments of FAIR – to which almost 6,000 businesses are now affiliated, is intended as a tool to ensure transparency in pricing, to enhance consumer confidence and to continue promoting fair pricing.
No information campaign that seeks to include all levels of society would be complete without attempting to overcome any language barriers that may be present between the public and our tourist and/or immigrant population.
With this in mind, leaflets have been published in various languages including those most commonly used by the refugees currently residing in our country.
Written in French, Arabic, Tigrenian and Amharic, apart from the ones already published in Maltese and English, the leaflets provide information about notes and coins, converting and building a scale of values to help with budget management and changeover-related time-lines.
To guarantee that every sector of society is reached, members of staff who work directly with refugees have been trained to provide assistance and ensure a smooth and efficient changeover.
This follows the effective material that has been provided for children and elderly people, for whom adequate information material has been published and placed on websites so that they may become familiar with our new currency. Similar material that will be addressing the particular needs of housewives will be provided soon.
To overcome any barriers that may be encountered on the path to the changeover, and to facilitate the process of preparation for this type of change, the NECC has developed the Living With The Euro training tool kit.
The tool kit aims to equip certified trainers within the social sector with the best tools for the adequate and timely preparation for all those
facing certain challenges during the changeover.
A number of practical tools have been developed and form part of the kit. These include an easy-to-read booklet, an educational DVD and audiocassette, a multi-lingual leaflet, the BOV converter and the audio converter in the Maltese language. These tools will be available to everyone who can potentially benefit from their use.
Once again, we are proving to be a country that is able to cope with any challenge. Following the tests presented by the five Maastricht criteria, we are now overcoming a more important challenge – informing the population.
The NECC familiarisation campaign is of the highest standard and is providing all the information needed. It is a campaign that is effective and inclusive in its outreach so that every one of us will benefit from this step taken towards further economic growth.
Once again, we are on the right track for another success story that will be generating further prosperity for our country, our families and ourselves – a change that will lead to further investment that will generate better jobs.
David Casa is a Nationalist MEP
[email protected]
www.davidcasa.eu