Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1512069
11 NEWS 23.11.2023 Accreditation course for insolvency practitioners THE Insolvency and Receivership Service within the Malta Business Registry is launching its first accred- itation course for Insolvency Prac- titioners in terms of the Insolvency Practitioners Act, Chapter 632 of the Laws of Malta. The course, convened by the Insol- vency and Receivership Service to- gether with a number of esteemed academics distinguished within the sector of insolvency, will provide an in-depth introduction to the new in- solvency framework encapsuled in the Insolvency Practitioners Act, the Pre-Insolvency Act, the related legis- lative amendments to the Commercial Code brought about by Act XXIII of 2022 and the general provisions of the EU Directive 2019/1023. is course will also provide practical training to the candidates wishing to carry out the functions of an insolven- cy practitioner in terms of Maltese law. The course will be held in the Eng- lish language through a series of 10 sessions, some held at the premises of the Malta Business Registry and oth- er lectures held online, from January 2024 to June 2024, or such other date as the Insolvency and Receivership Service, as the Competent Authority in terms of law, may establish. Upon conclusion of the course, the candidates will be individually as- sessed and if they are deemed to sat- isfy the requirements at law by the Competent Authority, they will be issued with due authorisation to ex- ercise the functions of an insolvency practitioner in terms of Article 4(1) of the Insolvency Practitioners Act. The Official Receiver and Head of the Insolvency and Receivership Ser- vice, Dr Ingrid Hamilton, said that this course will pave the way to an in- novative niche in the insolvency legal sector and gives practitioners new op- portunities to provide indispensable guidance to businesses facing hard times, thus ensuring that such enter- prises have access to the necessary tools which could help give them a second chance. Minister for the Economy, EU Funds and Lands Silvio Schembri said that the Insolvency Framework itself helps give a second chance to individuals and firms that are in financial distress or facing insolvency while at the same time will help creditors recover their debts in a timely manner. "Therefore, I welcome such accred- itation courses by MBR since Insol- vency is a highly regulated area and practitioners can get an in-depth un- derstanding of the relatively new law," Schembri said. Registered participants who (i) do not satisfy the eligibility criteria for authorisation to act as insolvency practitioner in terms of Maltese law, and/or (ii) have not attended at least 80% of the sessions of the course, will not be eligible for assessment. The Insolvency and Receivership Service invites all interested candi- dates to send an email on info.irs@ mbr.mt for more information by not later than 15 December, 2023. Successful candidates will be issued with due authorisation to exercise the functions of an insolvency practitioner ON 21 November 2023, the Universi- ty of Malta, in collaboration with the International Federation for Structur- al Concrete (fib) and with the support of PHILIP A TABONE, orchestrated a meticulously executed International Concrete Conference titled "Concrete Sustainability: Materials and Struc- tures." e convening transpired at the Val- letta Campus of the University of Malta, with a principal focus on addressing the latest developments and innovations in the realm of concrete and reinforced concrete structures. As part of the event, the University of Malta hosted the fib Commission 7 Sustainable Concrete, Task Group 7.8 meeting. e Task Group, led by Prof. Ruben Paul Borg of the Construction Materials Research Group at the Uni- versity of Malta, focused on "Recycled Materials and Industrial By-Products to produce High-Performance Concrete Structures." e conference covered key areas in cement-based materials and structural engineering, highlighting the latest advancements in research and industrial applications towards sustain- ability. Concrete, having been the most ex- tensively utilised construction material globally, had a substantial ecological impact due to increasing carbon emis- sions and escalated consumption of raw materials. Innovations aimed at enhancing the sustainability of concrete were crucial for furthering Climate Ac- tion within the construction industry. e pursuit of concrete sustainability led to notable innovations in progres- sive materials and intelligent technol- ogies advocating for more ecologically friendly, financially viable, and opera- tionally effective materials and struc- tures. e conference focused on a di- verse spectrum of cement-based and composite materials, with a central em- phasis on concrete innovation. e primary objective of the event was to assess the latest breakthroughs in the field, including pioneering materials and their practical applications within the industrial domain, such as self-heal- ing concrete, ultra-high-performance concrete, biomaterials, additive manu- facturing, and production technologies. e conference featured the unique and iconic Historic Reinforced Con- crete Canopy at the Qajjenza Gas Plant in Birżebbuġa - Industrial Heritage in Reinforced Concrete. Leading international experts who actively contributed to research and industry in the realm of concrete ma- terials and structures delivered key presentations on the latest innovations in cement-based composites and rein- forced concrete structures. e "Concrete Sustainability: Materi- als and Structures" conference was the second international event in the series, following the inaugural conference in 2018. It was organised by the Construction Materials Research Group at the Uni- versity of Malta and fib, in collaboration with Philip A. Tabone. CSMS International Concrete Conference: Structures of tomorrow