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3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 5 JULY 2024 NEWS GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. We will strive to bring you the news over the next three months. At this stage we are planning to take advantage of the influx of local and foreign visitors to this marvellous Mediterranean Island. But we could be tempted to continue with this newspaper project beyond the Summer months. A big thank you for the support from the Ministry for Gozo. GozoToday will be published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. gozotoday GozoToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt MINISTERU GĦAL GĦAWDEX U LIPPJANAR GozoToday is published by MediaToday in collaboration with the Ministry for Gozo and Planning THE Gozo Regional Council has signed a memorandum of agree- ment with the European Festivals Association (EFA) to join the Eu- ropean network of EFFE Seal. The EFFE Seal invites cities and regions to be recognised for their contribution and collective process with their festival com- munity. It also serves as a recog- nition for territories that wish to integrate their development and image with a strong festival com- mitment: cultural and European. The EFFE Seal for Festival Cit- ies and Regions was launched during the Arts Festivals Summit 2022 in Armenia and has been progressively growing since then: today, this initiative gathers 29 cities and regions across Europe. During this year's Arts Festi- vals Summit 2024 at the Usedom Music Festival, 11 regions and cities joined the ever-growing collaborative network. The Gozo region and the re- gions of Olomouc (Czech Re- public), and Västra Götaland (Sweden), together with the cit- ies of Greifswald (Germany), Ku- taisi (Georgia), Martina Franca (Italy), Miedzsyzdroje (Poland), Ostseebad Heringsdorf (Germa- ny), Pristina (Kosova), Prizren (Kosova), and Wolgast (Germa- ny) joined the network. These additions reinforce and enlarge the wish for more diver- sity, inclusion and relevance at a geographical and artistic level. The recipients of the EFFE Seal are recognised for their achieve- ments towards their festivals and it ensures commitment to future collaborations from all recipi- ents. Gozo Region President Dr Samuel Azzopardi said it was an honour to join the EFFE Seal community, demonstrating the region's commitment to nurtur- ing the enriching contributions that arts festivals bring to life in communities across Gozo. "By joining this network, we affirm our commitment to cele- brate our local culture and em- brace fundamental European val- ues through festivals, as well as to foster connections within the broader European cultural land- scape," he said. Gozo offers a vibrant and varied calendar thanks to creative and hard-working artistic NGOs and government organizations. This was recognised by the European Festivals Association, and they felt that the region could be a great addition to their flourishing network, one that strives to col- laborate and find the best prac- tices, environmental and social sustainability, and work for the common goals of the arts and the respective communities. During the Usedom Arts Festi- val, some 200 delegates from 51 countries conversed on the top- ic 'Awareness, Caring and Con- nectivity'. The need to focus on the arts, the role of festivals in reaching out to all citizens, so- cial change and one that calls for free spaces, peace and the careful treatment of people and the plan- et, was once more highlighted. Gozo Region joins EFFE Seal European Network to celebrate identity and connect island CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 While in March 2013, there were just 590 Gozitans work- ing full-time in these firms, by the end of 2023 this had grown to nearly 2,900. One in every three of the additional full-timers in Gozo was employed in the professional and administra- tive services sectors. There was also an impres- sive growth in the IT, finance and remote gaming sectors. Employment in these fields more than doubled since March 2013. Consequently, there are nearly the same amount of Gozitans working in these sectors as those working in industry. Back in 2013, IT, finance and remote gaming were half as important as industry. The growth in employment in Gozo resulted in a sub- stantial fall in the number of registered unemployed in Gozo. Whereas back in March 2013 there had been 742 Gozitans registering for em- ployment, this year the num- ber of unemployed stood at less than 80. Needless to say the private sector in Gozo is in dire need of a skilled work- force and faces challenges in finding the right people for expanding further. One in every three of new full- timers in Gozo was employed in the professional and administrative services sectors MAR 2013 DEC 2022 DEC 2023 All full-timers 9,281 15,655 16,490 Of which Construction/real estate 1,065 1,915 1,917 Pub adm/health/ education 2,841 3,954 3,959 IT/finance/gaming 635 1,313 1,372 Professional/ad- ministrative 590 2,670 2,885 Industry 1,141 1,356 1,450 Catering/Retail 1,963 3,108 3,498 Other sectors 1,046 1,339 1,409 Full-time workforce in Gozo