Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Chamber of SMEs Abigail Mamo said that the chamber supports any measures taken by the new Cabinet that lead to more good governance and transperancy.

Last Sunday, the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia said that he will start publishing a register of all meetings he has with stakeholders, in a move aimed at promoting transparency and good governance. "I am committed to the highest levels of transparency in decision-making. In the interest of good governance, as a ministry, we shall regularly publish the list of all meetings held by the Minister and his Chief of Staff with lobbyists, social partners, businesses and non-governmental organizations,” Farrugia told this newspaper.

Mamo, on behalf of the Malta Chamber of SMEs, said that the association supports Farrugia’s decision. “We have already spoken about good governance and transparency so we will be in favour of anything that will lead towards more transparency and accountability.”

When asked if other ministries should follow in Farrugia’s footsteps, Mamo said that “when it comes to better governance we are still in the first steps of discussion. So, we are waiting for other measures that will lead us to the ideal stage and reassure us that things are moving in the right direction. We aren’t looking at what happened in the past.”

The Malta Independent also asked for her opinion on Prime Minister Robert Abela’s claim that the new Cabinet will focus on a more pro-market economy wherein the attention is directed towards the consumer.

“We are focusing on restoring the image of our businesses, meaning that we do not think that the way things happened in the past should reflect how business is handled in Malta. On the contrary, our business is against corruption and I think that initiatives which are in favour of businesses as sole entities and the market as a whole, are something that everyone will benefit from,” she explained.