Four European best practice initiatives were presented during the Malta Communications Authority’s eCommerce forum held this morning. A discussion also ensued on the importance of ICTs as the tools and the means to improved business operations and increased entrepreneurship.

Enzo Finochhiaro presented the project entitled Acquisti Verdi nel Turismo (Green Procurement for Tourism) which is a procurement platform for the hospitality industry that has been implemented in Emilia Romagna, Italy.

Techcheck and Webcheck, two sister initiatives implemented in Galway, Ireland, where presented by Mr. Stephen Dudley and Mr. James Fox respectively. Techcheck is a scheme that assists small businesses to improve operations through the adoption of ICTs. On the other hand, Webcheck is aimed at businesses operating in tourism and assists in the design, development and promotion of web presence.

Maria del Pilar Martinez de Olcoz presented the Video Guides of Viana initiative, which is has been undertaken by the city of Viana in Spain and provides an interactive marketing tool for tourism establishments.

Representatives from local businesses, public authorities and other key bodies from the industry participated in this forum, which served as an opportunity to gain an understanding of foreign initiatives in the field and explore ways how good policy practices could be applied locally for the benefit of the Maltese businesses.

The eCommerce Forum was held as part of series of initiatives undertaken under the ICT-VN project, a project partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG IVC programme. The project seeks to promote and facilitate the creation of ICT enabled value networks across the participating European Regions through better public policies.