Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1527863
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 OCTOBER 2024 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt RECRUITMENT LICENCE Belfa Services Limited declares the intention for the company to register for an Employment Agency License in accordance to L.N. 270 of 2023 EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT (CAP.452) Employment Agencies Regulations, 2023. The activities proposed to be carried out focus on recruitment services including: 1. Recruitment consultancy. 2.Interviewing, selection, and placements of candidates in employment. 3. Recruitment of persons from abroad to employment in Malta or in an EU member state. 4. Recruitment of persons in Malta or in an EU member state. 5. Advertising of the filling of vacancies. 6. Keeping a register of applicants for employment. Official Registered Address: "Villa Eugenie", Office 1, Triq Dun Gaetano Mannarino, B`Kara BKR9085, Malta Company registered number: C9816 A recent Eurobarometer survey re- veals that 53% of Maltese residents have enough food provisions stored to last more than seven days in the event of transportation disruptions in their area. This figure significantly exceeds the EU average, where only 20% of citizens have similar stock- piles. The survey highlights that 56% of the Maltese are most concerned about the risks posed by extreme weather, followed closely by worries about disruptions in critical infra- structure (48%). In contrast, only 15% of Maltese re- spondents said they feel exposed to international geopolitical conflicts, compared to 22% across the EU. Additionally, 52% of Maltese in- dividuals maintain an emergency supply of food and drinks, markedly higher than the EU average of 29%. And 62% of Maltese households say they keep a home pharmacy for emergencies, compared to just 36% in the EU. The survey also found that 74% of Maltese residents have easily ac- cessible flashlights or candles, com- pared to 47% of EU citizens. But only 5% of Maltese – compared to 8% of all EU citizens – have pre- pared a grab-bag, in case they need to evacuate rapidly in an emergency. Austria (58%), Malta (52%), and Finland (51%) were the only coun- tries where more than half of re- spondents report keeping an emer- gency stock of food and drinks. Conversely, Poland (11%), Denmark (14%), and Portugal (14%) show the lowest levels of such preparedness. In nine EU Member States, at least half of the respondents indicate they have a home pharmacy for emergen- cies, with the highest rates reported in Finland (63%), Malta (62%), and Austria (56%). The survey also registers a higher level of trust (75%) in public authori- ties and emergency services in Malta than in the EU as a whole (70%). Maltese homes among EU's top food and medicinal stockpilers THE Malta Financial Services Au- thority is monitoring social media adverts put out by licence holders promoting their services, to stop any form of misleading marketing that might come without specific risk warnings, disclaimers, or in- accurate information. During 2023, an increase was noted in cases related to the use of gifts, prizes, lotteries and oth- er type of incentives linked to the promotion of financial services. "By way of example, the Author- ity requested an investment firm to include the required risk warn- ing 'The value of your investment may go down as well as up' in all the marketing material related to the issue of a local bond," said Dr Sarah Pulis, the MFSA's head of conduct supervision. "In another case, an insurance company was requested to in- clude the disclaimer 'surrender charges may apply' in the market- ing material related to a life insur- ance product and to refrain from using the word 'assured' used in the context of potential returns, in the advert. In such cases, the requested amendments were con- sidered crucial for the advert to be clear, fair and not misleading and provide consumers with a bal- anced representation of the risks of the products." The MFSA said it had told li- cence holders to refrain from such practices where consumers' decisions could be clouded by the potential acquisition of a reward which is not linked to the product under advertisement. In 2023, a total of 35 licence holders' websites – 21 investment firms and 14 insurance compa- nies – were flagged over incorrect or incomplete information as to the EU countries where these companies operated, licensing statements and regulatory infor- mation, target audience, or their complaints procedure. In all, the MFSA reviewed a to- tal of 359 adverts issued on social media platforms, mainly pertain- ing to investment firms (127), insurance firms (153), and credit institutions (79). Out of the 359 adverts reviewed, the MFSA found 30 instances in which licence holders were given instruction to amend their ad- verts, but in one case the MFSA requested the licence holder to withdraw the marketing commu- nication. MFSA keeps eye out on misleading social media ads