The Presidents of the Malta Chamber and the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding at Auberge de Castille in the presence of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Malta, Hubert Ziegler. The agreement was signed on 30 November at the end of a two-day visit by a high-level delegation of the Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK) to Malta.
During the visit, the delegation -which included DIHK President, Prof. Dr Hans Heinrich Driftmann and CEO Dr Martin Wansleben – held meetings with the Malta Chamber and its German-Maltese Business Council. Discussions centred principally on common issues, concerns, future challenges and possible areas of cooperation also regarding European affairs.
Meetings with the German business community based in Malta were also made possible through a dinner hosted at the Malta Chamber in Honour of the DIHK President and also during a lunch hosted by the German Ambassador in Honour of the Minister for Fair Competition, Small Business and Consumers.
The highlight of the delegation’s programme in Malta was a meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, where the DIHK President and CEO were accompanied by Malta Chamber President, Tancred Tabone and Director General, Kevin J. Borg. On this occasion all sides discussed the recent activity of German foreign direct investment in Malta and innovative ways of collaboration that could lead to a sustained pattern of investment in the coming years. Following these discussions, the Malta Chamber and DIHK signed their Memorandum of Understanding.
Mr Tabone commented “We are honoured to have been visited by such high profile members of the European Chamber network. We are satisfied with the positive impression that DIHK got of our country and we look forward to a positive outcome next year which could signal a new era of business collaboration between Malta and German Chambers”.
Prof. Driftmann commented “In these challenging times with controversial debates on the future of Europe, it is more important than ever to talk to each other – instead of talking about each other! Because we need a better understanding of the political, economic and cultural framework of all our partners in the EU to join forces to overcome the current crisis. Therefore we highly appreciate the outcome of our meetings to foster bilateral cooperation and partnership – and furthermore to intensify the dialogue on European matters!”