The Minister for European Funds, Social Dialogue and Consumer Protection, Keith Azzopardi Tanti, addressed a Business Breakfast marking the 30th anniversary of the Malta Business Bureau (MBB). The event brought together representatives of Government, industry and social partners to discuss priorities for strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of Maltese businesses within the European Single Market.

The MBB, whose partner organisations are The Malta Chamber and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, helps ensure that the needs of Maltese businesses are represented at European institutional level. This work contributes to ensuring that the challenges faced by Maltese enterprises are taken into consideration from the early stages of European policy and legislative development.

The Business Breakfast also provided an opportunity to reflect on how the needs of businesses have evolved over the past three decades. Discussions also focused on future priorities, including digital innovation, adaptation to environmental requirements, and the need for European policies to take into account the specific conditions in which businesses operating on islands function.

Minister Keith Azzopardi Tanti praised the work of the MBB as a key partner of Government and industry, highlighting how its efforts in Malta and Brussels help bridge the realities faced by Maltese businesses with the European policymaking process. He reiterated the Government's commitment to continuing to support businesses and ensuring that European ambitions translate into practical solutions that recognise the realities faced by Maltese enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, while providing them with the tools they need to compete, innovate and succeed.

MBB President Raphael Aloisio stated that through proactive and early engagement on key EU initiatives, the Malta Business Bureau continues to deliver value to the Maltese business community. This is being achieved through broader collaboration with European federations and Malta's representatives in Brussels.

MBB Chief Executive Officer Mario Xuereb stated that this year, the MBB engaged from an early stage to ensure that the interests of Maltese businesses and industry are reflected in the EU Islands Strategy, as well as in the amendments proposed as part of the reform of the Emissions Trading System (ETS). He thanked the Government, The Malta Chamber of Commerce and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association for their continued support, while pledging further efforts as the organisation enters its next chapter.