2024 will present the industry with last year’s challenges, along with new ones – Malta Chamber CEO

Marthese Portelli, CEO of The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, has stressed that 2024 will present a number of new challenges to Malta’s industry, in addition to the ones it faced last year.

In an interview for The Malta Chamber’s social media, released on Thursday (today), she highlighted the work that the entity did for the private sector during 2023, particularly when it came to “taking care of Malta’s competitiveness”, focusing on making progress in sustainability and digitalisation.

“We are now in 2024, a year which will also be filled with challenges, as it will have the difficulties we saw throughout 2023, along with additional ones, including issues stemming from the war in Gaza, together with those from EU laws and directives which affect the nature of business,” Dr Portelli explained.

She noted that The Malta Chamber will continue to work on initiatives that commenced in 2023, yet will also “strive to make progress particularly in terms of public procurement”.

She pointed out that studies conducted by The Malta Chamber found that a high number of local businesses, upwards of 60 per cent, substantially depend on public procurement.

Last year, prior to Budget 2024, The Malta Chamber highlighted the need for Government to maintain accurate records on the provision of public services and to reform the public procurement processes to ensure that these are selected in a fair manner.

“Therefore, it is important that we ensure that there is the reform that is needed, but also that not only ensures greater transparency and more of a level playing field, but to also make sure that Government funds spent on public procurement are being spent in the best way possible, in other words, the best return on investment,” Dr Portelli highlighted.

She also said that The Malta Chamber will continue to emphasise to Maltese businesses the need to move towards the green transition and digitalisation, together referred to as the “twin transition”.

“It is important for Maltese businesses to embrace these moves, as since we are working in a globalised world nowadays, it is a must that we reach these goals in order to remain competitive, not only locally, but also on an international scale,” Dr Portelli affirmed.