In five days we’ll be celebrating Christmas. This year, the world over, it’s going to be a totally different Holiday Season for more reasons than one. Obviously the first thing that comes to mind are the restrictions we all have had to do with since last March, when in Malta we had the very first case of the disease on a 12-year old Italian girl. And with the pandemic still affecting all countries globally, this Christmas we will not be enjoying our holidays as usual that much.

We all know how the story goes from that day onwards. We have had to adapt to a new normality, and the restrictions put into place by the Health Authorities to safeguard us all resulted in hardships for most of us. However the sectors that were left scathed above all others undoubtedly include our small and medium-sized enterprises. When the pandemic reached our country it was the SMEs which took a huge financial hit, one, which unfortunately, they have yet to recover from.

I have been voicing the concerns about the situation of our SMEs and the workers and families dependant on them for all of the past months up to this day, and I will continue to back them until the situation hopefully returns to a semblance of normality. I campaigned, and still am, to see that businesses are given the tools necessary first to survive, weather out the storm, and later invest in making their activity sustainable.

Through my work in the European Parliament I have negotiated, on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats, on the Report on the European Strategy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Some weeks ago, the European Parliament’s Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) showed strong support for this important report. I am even more pleased that during the last Plenary for this year, this week, this report that I had been working on for months, gained another successful vote. And to top this, I was also appointed Chair of an important European Working Group on Tourism, Travel and Mobility of the SME Connect. SME Connect is a platform which brings together policy makers, businesses and other stakeholders within the EU in connection with SMEs.

Having spoken many times in the European Parliament about the type and level of assistance that these businesses should be given, I will continue to push and speak with all my might to ensure that our SMEs and their workers are supported with all the resources and assistance they deserve. And as Chair of this Working Group, I having yet another fora from within which I will continue working hard to address the barriers faced by our SMEs in two important sector for ours islands – travel and tourism, two sectors which have undoubtedly been among the worst hit by this pandemic.

This opportunity will help me to be closer to practical examples of how SMEs operate at grassroots level, the challenges they face and their aspirations.  This would be greatly beneficial for my work in the European Parliament. I believe the EU institutions must work relentlessly to bring the EU closer to the difficult reality of everyday life. It should be no different for travel and tourism.

We all long for the days when our picturesque streets and villages are once again frequented and enjoyed by tourists, our shops and businesses are flourishing, and when their main concern is keeping up with the unrelenting demand for their products and services.

We are still months away from getting back to the life we were used to, but we can all be part of a collective effort to help each other, especially during these days where generosity abounds. My appeal is a simple one: let’s all do our utmost this year to support our local businesses and their families; let’s Go4Local.

With all the charity oriented events that take place during these festive days, I remind you all of the old adage, Charity (also) begins at Home. This is my simple, yet strong message for all Maltese and Gozitan consumers: do your best to buy local products and services from our local businesses this year.

So, this Christmas choose a local product, giving concrete support to our families who depend on this sector for their wellbeing. In doing so you will not only be helping the backbone of our economic fabric, but you will also be supporting the same economy from which our children, pensioners and all our families thrive.

I take this opportunity, the last Sunday before Christmas, to wish all the readers of this paper, a Blessed Christmas. Let’s not forget our elderly and those passing through difficult moments – a short visit or even a phone or video call makes all the difference during this period when solitude is felt even more than usual - and let’s all look forward to make the coming year a Happy one!