The importance of getting the European Union to truly see the impact of directives and policies on small island states like Malta is a must.

But, as Chairman of the Malta Business Bureau Mario Xuereb pointed out during an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, "those who live on the continent cannot comprehend the challenges and what it means to live on an island."

The Malta Business Bureau represents the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association in Brussels. It does so by liaising directly with the European institutions, the Maltese Permanent Representation and with umbrella organisations.

So entities like the MBB, when lobbying and discussing, try to explain the challenges that an island state like Malta faces.

The biggest issue which those on the mainland do not face, probably relates to connectivity. Everything and everyone must travel to Malta either by sea or by air, which costs more than travel by land. For freight, it also requires more logistical steps.

The EU has been a massive generator of progress for Malta. From opening up the market, to travel benefits, educational opportunities, trade agreements and direct funds to support Malta in many areas.

But there are times when a proposed directive could have a negative impact. While the EU institutions, understandably, come out with proposals for changes on the broad scale, it is then up to our elected representatives in the EU Parliament, government employees and also Maltese businesses themselves (through the MBB), to identify the local impacts and bring those to the attention of EU policy makers.

Given that Malta is such a small country, it requires all those representatives to work together if there is an issue to ensure that it is fixed or sorted before becoming final.

It is undoubtedly not an easy task, given that others from all over Europe would also be lobbying their own interests. Sometimes, it takes a practical point to get the message across.

As an example, Xuereb mentioned that In a meeting the MBB recently took part in, the issue of connectivity arose, "and something we always bring up in EU fora is the need to take Malta's connectivity issues into account. One of our team members was speaking about Malta's insularity and showed the recent images of Maltese supermarkets with empty shelves where produce is usually displayed. The photos were taken following a storm a few weeks ago. When you show people something visual like that, it is striking, and it sparked a discussion there and then. We need to convince and show, with evidence and with data, the issues the country faces."

Xuereb told this newsroom that currently, an Islands' strategy is being discussed by the EU Commission. Asked what the MBB hopes this will achieve, he said: "We expect a formal recognition of the geographic and permanent constraints faced by islands such as Malta, together with clear indications of remedial action to ensure that islands can (i) fully benefit from EU initiatives, including the Single Market, and (ii) effectively mitigate the impact of EU legislation, particularly measures affecting maritime and aviation transport (but not only)."

Such a strategy, should it come to fruition and be done right, would be of great benefit for Malta.