Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547077
ASK any importer in Malta what keeps them awake at night and you will rarely hear about grand economic theory. You will hear about a container sit- ting at the Freeport, stock that cannot reach the shelves, a cus- tomer waiting and costs mount- ing by the day. And all this be- cause a document was missing or a declaration was not quite right. For a small business, that can be the difference between a good season and a bad one. That is why, within the first 100 days of this government, ImportaMT, a new service de- veloped and run by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA), was launched. It was a commit- ment in the manifesto, and as a ministry, we were determined that it would not remain a line on a page. The idea is simple. Before your goods ever leave their country of origin, you can ask the MCCAA to check the prod- uct's compliance documenta- tion against the EU product safety rules that apply to it. You submit one online application per product, for a fee of €50. Within five working days of payment, or 10 days if clarifica- tions are needed, you receive a clear decision: 'Verified' or 'Not Verified'. Where a product falls under more than one piece of EU legislation, a single consoli- dated checklist covers them all. If something is missing, you find out while there is still time to go back to your supplier and put it right and not when the goods are already on the quay and the clock is ticking. A verified decision is pub- lished at a unique online ad- dress and comes with an official receipt carrying a QR code that customs can check. The MC- CAA and customs are working hand in hand so that products accompanied by a valid receipt need not be referred back to the authority for the same docu- mentary check. This means less duplication, fewer delays, more certainty. ImportaMT verifies docu- ments. It is not full product certification, it does not ex- empt goods from market sur- veillance, and is not an auto- matic guarantee of customs clearance. Products selected by customs through its risk assess- ment will still be reviewed by the MCCAA, at no additional cost. What ImportaMT offers is the chance to spot a prob- lem early, when fixing it is still cheap. And this is not only a story about business. Every one of us is a consumer. We trust that the toy we buy for a grandchild, the charger by the bedside and the appliance in the kitchen are safe products and most of us never think about the paper- work behind them. Protecting that trust is the MCCAA's dai- ly work. When importers get compliance right from the out- set, fewer unsafe products come anywhere near our homes, and the authority's officers can fo- cus on where the real risks lie. Prevention is simply better reg- ulation. None of this happens by itself. I want to thank the team at the MCCAA, who turned a pledge into a clear, practical and trans- parent service within weeks of this government taking office. We are also encouraged that both the Malta Chamber of SMEs and The Malta Chamber have welcomed it. We will keep listening as the service beds in. One hundred days is a short time in the life of a govern- ment. But it is long enough to show what kind of government it intends to be—one that keeps its word and delivers practical things. ImportaMT is among the first and it will not be the last. This service was built for im- porters, customs agents and freight forwarders. I urge you to use it, test it, and tell us how to make it better. Find out more and apply at www.importa.mt. 8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2026 OPINION Jason Joseph Agius Getting it right before the ship sails Policy advisor within the Ministry for European Funds, Social Dialogue and Consumer Protection Getting it right before the ship sails means fewer delays, lower costs and more certainty for busi- nesses