A few days ago, I attended the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Industry (Competitiveness Council) in Budapest, Hungary.
Entitled “Be Innovative Go International”, the council had the aim of discussing themes such as “Stronger SMEs for a stronger Europe”, “Be innovative – Go international” and “The role of the family business in the European Economy”.
During my intervention at the plenary session about strengthening SMEs, I referred to Commissioner Tajani’s opening address at the same session. In his address, the Vice President of the European Commission, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, referred to the importance of strengthening Euro-Med economic policy. On behalf of Malta, I expressed our full support for his words of understanding of the complex situation in the Mediterranean region, which is offering many challenges.
Commissioner Tajani referred to the severity of the situation in North Africa and Ivory Coast. I confirmed Malta’s gratitude for Commissioner Tajani’s words, as he referred to the need to continue efforts to nourish relations in the Mediterranean region and to help sustain political and economic stability. Indeed the Euro-Med Industry Conference to be hosted in Malta in May will surely aim to enhance industrial relations within the Mediterranean region.
Along the same lines as Commissioner Tajani’s address, I stressed how innovation and cluster policy can indeed play an important role in helping to sustain stability in the region and within the EU. Malta strongly believes that, through capitalising on state-of-the-art information technologies and transport infrastructure, intra-European cluster cooperation that extends beyond national borders will serve to cultivate innovation through cross fertilisation of European ideas. Malta is prepared to cooperate in a wide number of industrial sectors, primarily in the aviation, ICT and bio-tech sectors. The need for reinforced and reinvigorated intra-European cluster cooperation is particularly important for a country such as Malta, which is further challenged by its peripheral position. I am confident that, through the right political and financial support, intra-European clusters that extend beyond national borders can help considerably to sponsor economic stability within the Mediterranean and the EU to create true international winners.
Jason Azzopardi is Parliamentary Secretary in the Finance Ministry