The Mellieha local council and Junior Achievement (Young Enterprise) recently won the National Enterprise Support Awards, each receiving a cash prize of €30,000. They have also been nominated to participate in the European Enterprise Awards, where they will be competing with other European projects. These awards are organised on a yearly basis by the European Commission’s Directorate General (DG) for Enterprise and Industry.

The aim of the awards, which have been organised since 2006, is to identify and reward successful national and cross-border initiatives undertaken by public authorities, as well as by public-private partnerships in the EU, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. These awards give participants the opportunity to showcase and share examples of best entrepreneurship policies and practices, create a higher awareness of the role that entrepreneurs play in society, and encourage and inspire potential entrepreneurs.

A national jury selected the winning entries according to four main criteria, “Originality and Feasibility”, “The Impact on the Local Economy”, “The Improvement of Local Stakeholder Relations”, and “Transferability of the Project to Other Regions in Europe”. Candidates were also expected to demonstrate how their initiatives have increased facilitation in business and boosted their region’s economy during the two-year period prior to the award year.

Runners up Hamrun local council and the Local Council Association each received a cash prize of €20,000, while another six local councils, namely Birgu, Gharb, Qormi, Siggiewi, Marsascala, and Ghaxaq were given a cash prize of €5,000 each as a form of encouragement.