Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1250967
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 OPINION IN times of crises, it is impor- tant to take care of our own. That is why the government has launched schemes which aid businesses and their employ- ees, in order to make sure that lay-offs and unemployment are minimised and that when this is all over, we'll be able to pick up the slack and move ahead. The Department of Industrial Relations which falls under my remit, has launched two help- lines in this regard, one for em- ployers and the other one for employees, to make sure that those feeling the brunt are aid- ed as much as possible by the government. As things stand, up until some days ago we were in the defen- sive stage, or rather in the con- tainment stage, where we were trying to limit the damage that COVID-19 has brought to our shores. When however, the cri- sis shifts from the health aspect to the economic sector, as it is slowly doing, it will be time for us to go on the offensive. What going on the offensive means in this regard, is invest- ing in our future by using gov- ernment and European Union funds to make sure that the economy rises to pre-COV- ID-19 levels and beyond. Yes, debt will rise. However our first priority in times like these shouldn't be to point towards debt to GDP statistics, but rath- er to make sure that nobody is being left behind. From waiters and bartenders working in the hospitality sec- tor, to professionals, every one of us will feel the pain in the short term. Yet this pain will last as long as we want it to. I'm saying this because there are solutions which can both re- start the Maltese economy from scratch, as well as increase our wellbeing. Digitalisation is one of these solutions. COVID-19 has shown that working from home is possible in a lot of scenarios. I was one of the first government ministers to hold digital press conferences in this regard, apart from holding regular con- ference calls from home as well as holding team meetings via videocalls. Going forward, what does this mean? What it means is, that if productivity isn't affect- ed, working from home should be permitted across the board. Employees are not the only ones who will benefit from this, as more people working from home means less cars on our roads and hence less congestion and less pollution. Diversifying our economy to include areas which have proved to be resilient is also an option which should be con- sidered. The keyword here is 'resilient'. A resilient economic system means that, come an- other crisis or pandemic, we will be in a better place to make sure that the economic wheel keeps going round and round, rather than coming to a halt. Facts and statistics show that the government of Malta has already proved to be resilient in this regard, however increasing resilience is never a thing that should be discarded. If businesses whose opera- tions are resilient have the ca- pability to keep on going full speed during times of crisis, what that means essentially is that their employees will con- tinue receiving full paycheques which they can then spend on other things. Moreover, if the economy is diversified as much as possible, affected sectors are less likely to have a damaging impact on the Maltese economy as a whole and thus our coun- try would be safer to economic shocks in general terms. As I mentioned before, in or- der to invest, one needs the money. Thank God that this government has been very wise in making sure that our coffers are well-stocked for such a task. This will not mean that we will not have to borrow money. To the contrary, we will. But, the fact that we were careful in the past means that we have more room for leverage. On a similar note, I was pleased to see that the Chamber of Com- merce launching a thematic group which aims to discuss fu- ture possible scenarios and how the Maltese and the global econ- omy will look post-coronavirus pandemic. Such critical thinking and brainstorming is what this country needs at the moment. That is why at this moment in time, my ministry is holding consultation meetings with all social partners in order to seize the opportunity to plan ahead. In times of crisis there are two options: either working togeth- er, or turning on each other. History has shown that those who turn on each other are less likely to bring economic growth and more likely to send socie- ties into a downward spiral. On the contrary, those who worked together for the common good managed to overcome the chal- lenges and rise above. The lat- ter is what this government in- tends to do. Working in the common good will help us rise to the challenge Carmelo Abela is minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela Operational Programme I – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges" Advert part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund Co-financing rate: Public Eligible (80% European Union; 20% National Funds) ANNOUNCEMENT – 20th May 2020 Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Open Rolling Calls – Cut-off dates Operational Programme I – Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, designated by the Managing Authority for Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 as the Intermediate Body responsible for administering aid schemes for enterprises under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014 – 2020, would like to announce further cut-off dates until end November 2020 for the submission of applications under the Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes intiative. The cut-off dates for all open Calls until end November 2020 are set at noon of the following dates: • Call 1 - Business Enhance RD&I Grant Scheme - Measure 1 Feasibility Studies • Call 2 - Business Enhance RD&I Grant Scheme - Measure 2 Research & Development Projects • Call 3 - Business Enhance RD&I Grant Scheme - Measure 3 Investment in Research Infrastructures • Call 4 - Business Enhance RD&I Grant Scheme - Measure 4 Process Innovation • Call 1 - e-Commerce Grant Scheme • Call 3 - SME Growth Grant Scheme • Call 3 - Start-up Investment Grant Scheme • Call 1 - SME Diversification and Innovation Grant Scheme • Call 1 - SME Internationalisation Grant Scheme • Call 2 - SME Consultancy Services Grant Scheme 29 May 30 June 31 July 31 August 30 September 30 October 30 November In addition to the above, the following open Calls have mid-monthly cut-off dates set at noon of the following dates: • Call 1 - e-Commerce Grant Scheme • Call 2 - SME Consultancy Services Grant Scheme 17 June 17 July 12 August 16 September 16 October 13 November Further information on these calls including the respective Guidance Notes and the Guidelines for Implementation may be obtained from https://businessenhance.gov.mt or by contacting the Measures and Support Division on msd.mfea@gov.mt or 2295 7110.