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25.07.19 5 NEWS IN 2018, the value of exports from Mal- ta to Spain amounted to €109.9 million, almost double when compared to the €61.7m registered in 2017. On the other- hand, the value of exports from Spain to Malta amounted to €407.1 million com- pared to €406.3 in 2017. e majority of exports (28%) came from Catalonia, followed by Basque region (24.5%) and Valencia (22%). ese figures were announced by An- gel Torres, Economic and Commercial Counsellor from the Spanish Embassy in Rome during the first in the series of networking business events organised by the Maltese Spanish Chamber of Com- merce. e "Doing Business with Spain" event, held at the residence of the Spanish Am- bassador in Malta, Consuelo Femenía Guardiola in Balzan was opened by the Chamber's President, Agustin Silva Castaño who welcomed the attending thirty-five entrepreneurs and announced that future events will be focusing on particular sectors of interest to both Spanish and Maltese businesses. "ese meetings seek to promote re- lations between Maltese and Spanish businessmen, members of the Chamber, Maltese investors who might be inter- ested in Spain and Spanish investors in- terested in setting up in Malta. We want businesses to be informed of the ad- vantages and benefits of commerce and investment, both on a general and on a specific level, in both countries, through the cooperation of companies, public and private institutions, the Commercial Office of Spain, and the Maltese-Spanish Chamber of Commerce," said the Cham- ber's President, Agustin Silva Castaño. anking the Chamber for the initi- ative, Ambassador Consuelo Femenía Guardiola expressed her delight at hav- ing the opportunity to host this impor- tant first event in her residence in Balzan. e ambassador reiterated that although trade between the two countries has been experiencing a steady increase over the past few years, there remains room for more business growth and encour- aged members to utilise the Chamber and its contacts to facilitate and support such exchanges. In his presentation highlighting eco- nomic figures achieved through business and trade between Malta and Spain, Mr Angel Torres noted how in the field of employment, Spain has generated 25.6% of all the employment created in the Eu- rozone since 2014 ahead of countries like Germany, Italy and Ireland. "Spain has become a highly inter- nationalised economy where in 2018, the total imports in Spain amounted to €319 billion. e highest percentage was that of importation of equipment goods (21%) followed by chemicals (15%) and energy products (15%) automotive (13%) consumer manufactures (11%) and food, beverage and tobacco (11%). Oth- er minor sectors include non-chemical semi-manufacures (7%), raw materials (4%) and durable consumer goods (3%)." e event was followed with a recep- tion where guests ranging from mem- bers to prospective members from var- ious sectors had the opportunity to learn more about their respective business ac- tivity and establish important contacts. For more information about the Mal- tese Spanish Chamber and its activities, visit www.mscc.org.mt Malta's export to Spain almost doubled to €110m in 2018 Imports from Spain to Malta reached €407.1 million Participants at the first networking business event organised by the Maltese Spanish Chamber of Commerce DATA provided by Jobsplus for June 2019 shows a decline of 156 persons registering under Part I and a decrease of six among those registering un- der Part II of the unemployment register, when compared to the same month last year. Registered unemployed dropped among all age groups, with the exception of those aged less than 20 years and those aged between 25 and 29 years. Registrants for work decreased when compared to June 2018, irrespective of how long they had been registering for work. e largest decrease was recorded among persons who had been reg- istering for more than one year. e number of persons with a disability who were registering for work decreased by 68 when compared to the previous year, reaching 214. Men accounted for 68.7 per cent of total regis- trants with a disability. e largest share of men and women on the un- employment register sought occupations as cler- ical support workers with 18.8 per cent and 39.3 per cent respectively. In June, the number of persons registering for work stood at 1,616 decreasing by 9.1 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2018 Registered unemployment in June 2019 down 9.1% over June 2018

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