Censu Galea

Opening address by the Hon. Censu Galea, Minister for Competitiveness and Communications, during an EMAS Workshop
Malta Standards Authority, Valletta
22nd June 2004

Mr Chairman,
Sindki,
Rapprezentanti tal-Kunsilli Lokali u Awtoritajiet Maltin,
Sinjuri,

L-indirizz tieghi fil ftuh dan il-workshop se naghmlu bl-Ingliz minhabba li, gentilment prezenti maghna dalghodu, hawn membri tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea, li bis-sahha taghha dan il-progett qieghed ikun iffinanzjat u li qeghdin jikkollaboraw bis-shih ma’ l-Awtorita’ Maltija tal-Istandards.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Members of the Commission,

I am confident that each and every one of us, at some stage or another, has expressed to himself, or herself, the desire that our nation’s overall delivery, within all of its sectors, is enhanced to the extent that their respective performances reach optimal conditions. This in some way or another, I believe, reflects the common belief that we share between us. It is of a mutual understanding that service providers deliver a highly satisfactory service to their customers, and at the end line, that the customer receives a high level of service from its provider. This is all about standards.

We seek in our every day life to ensure that what we, as citizens, consume or make use of services or products carrying the highest attainable standards. It is ourselves who have realized that as consumers, we have fundamental rights, which have to be observed.

That is why, in fact, many public and private institutions today house within their structure centres of customer care, have achieved performance certification in the areas of their individual competence, or restructured their operations to make sure that they meet up to today’s required standards. Within an ever-changing world, these elements are vital to their overall performance and their customers’ satisfaction.

This is what standards are all about. And if we are aiming at enhancing our nation’s overall delivery, standards are one of the main pillars upon which one has to base his relevant operations.

That is why, to my view, the term competitiveness, for which I am responsible as Minister, is an area which should not be referred to just for the sake of doing so, but one has to delve deep into its real significance and in deriving its main components, discusses with all those concerned the ideal objectives to focus upon.

Therefore, as optimal delivery by service providers is acquired through, amongst others, the certification of standards, competitiveness lies in a constant symbiosis with the implementation of this concept.

Sustainable development, which today governments around Europe view as one of their priorities, being also integrated into the European Union objectives, calls for the use of a wider range of tools for environmental policy. In fact the 6th Community Environmental Action Programme, "Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice", recognises this and aims to be a programme that "completes and reinforces our body of environmental legislation” whilst doing “more in terms of mobilising stakeholders for the environment and 'greening' the market". Activities, products and services carrying, amongst others, the correct environmental obligations are of an added benefit to a sustainable development.
Within this concept, an environmental policy can be achieved through the promotion of information, an awareness and commitment with citizens and the business community, the right incentives for environmental improvements in the market place and ensuring the integration of the environment into other policies. We have already, as a nation, made giant strides ahead within these parameters…but yet, together, much more still has to be done.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The environmental awareness present around us in Malta is a result of what we have been advocating throughout these years – that is a sustainable and cleaner environment. A few years ago, the environment was a mere non-issue amongst our citizens; a few years later it became a priority.
And therefore the commitment to, and the respective implementation of pertinent environmental policies is another standard which improves our delivery as a nation, and therefore an added value to ensuring our competitiveness, internally and beyond. This Government’s main goals are bi-fold concentrating besides several other factors, mainly on ‘competitiveness’ and the ‘environment’, and your presence here today is a clear manifestation of your pledge in collaborating to the attainment of our aims.

Ten years after their inception, it is a recognised fact that Local Councils are key players in our daily life, instilling the concept of having a local government close to its citizens. Therefore, as a result of such, they also have an important influence on the environmental behaviour of their locality.

Other Authorities present here today, who have also, together with a number of Local Councils, shown their commitment to the implementation of this scheme, are main elements of our country’s service providers.

It is therefore with this in mind that The Malta Standards Authority together with the Directorate General for Environment of the European Commission has organised this workshop on the Eco-Management Audit Scheme, widely known as EMAS, specifically targeted for local councils and authorities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The introduction of such environmental management systems within Local Councils and Authorities can help them achieve this by providing a structured framework for managing and improving their own performance, whilst integrating the aims of sustainable development into their policies and actions. This scheme is now also being utilised by local councils around Europe as a system that leads to the improvement of the environment in their locality.

As I already had the occasion of explaining when launching this project for the very first time, a few weeks ago, the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a voluntary scheme for organizations willing to commit themselves to evaluate and improve their environmental performance. EMAS Regulations came into force in Malta on 1st May 2004 and as a result of this, ST Microelectronics (Malta) was one of the very first companies within the new EU member states to benefit from the certification.

The MSA has been provided with over 300,000 Euros in EU funds to promote the scheme to Authorities and businesses whilst also supporting Local Councils for its implementation. Time is ripe for action, and everyone shoulders the responsibility to accomplish our common aims.

One has to also note that domestic authorities such as the Water Services Corporation, the Malta Environmental and Planning Agency (MEPA), WasteServ, the Malta Tourism Authority, Malta Enterprise, the Department of Local Government and others have realised the benefits of an environmental audit and certification, as being of paramount importance to their credibility and performance when acting as service providers.

Tourism is a case in point. With one third of our economy depending entirely upon the provision of tourism services, Malta has to keep abreast of European and worldwide standards thus ensuring that it is on a level playing field when competing with others in the attraction of potential tourists.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since last April, the Malta Standards Authority, for which I am also responsible, was established as the EU EMAS competent body for Malta and today’s workshop, I underline, is a further step in the right direction. It is creating awareness to the acquisition of standards, coupled with the assurance of an optimal delivery of service, and thus leading to our aim of competitiveness. I sincerely hope that many other will follow suit, and recognise that these are today’s requirements – no one can afford to be left behind.

And now may I shift back to my mother tongue.

Qeghdin nghixu f’suq ta’ 450 miljun konsumatur imdawra minn ghadd kbir ta’ persuni li jipprovdu servizzi vitali, essenzjali, jew okkazjonali. Sew jekk minn naha tal-Gvern, tal-privat jew ta’ entita’ pubblika ohra, kollha kemm ahna, taht forma jew ohra fittixna li nuzaw is-serizzi taghhom.

Zvilupp sostenibbli fi hdan suq kompetittiv hu ta’ prijorita’ ghal dan il-Gvern. Ninsab kunfidenti li bil-prezenza taghkom hawnhekk, u bis-sehem ta’ ohrajn, nistghu inwettqu l-koncetti f’realtajiet. L-ideali taghna jridu jsiru realta u dan billi inwetqu l-ghazliet taghna.