Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/446030
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 JANUARY 2015 17 A group of Middlesea Insurance and MSV Life employees recently planted a number of trees at the Ma- jjistral Park in Mellieha as part of the Group's corporate social responsibil- ity programme. During working hours, members of staff of the Middlesea Group helped to rehabilitate the Wied ta' Rdum ar- ea in the park by removing dead trees and branches, restoring rubble walls, the installation of watering systems and the planting of 200 trees includ- ing olive and carob trees. Alfredo Munoz, Middlesea Insur- ance's President and CEO, who also attended the tree planting event ex- pressed his strong support for this initiative. "As part of our CSR pro- gramme we believe in investing both in our employees and the environ- ment they inhabit. Such initiatives enable us to put our values into ac- tion." David Curmi, CEO of MSV Life added, "It gives us a lot of satisfac- tion to enable our employees to do their part in improving our environ- ment. We believe that being socially responsible is a key element to any business's success." Middlesea Group also presented a donation to Carmen Sammut, Chair- person of the Heritage Parks Federa- tion. Majjistral Nature and History Park is Malta's first natural national park after the area in the northwest of Malta which includes the coastal ar- ea from Golden Bay to il-Prajjiet and Xaghra l-Hamra was declared as such by the Government of Malta in 2007. The Park's area includes a stretch of 6km of protected coast designated as part of a larger Special Area of Conservation of International Im- portance within the Natura 2000 network of sites as per the European Habitats Directive. It also contains a number of historical and archaeolog- ical sites. The Park is a member of the EUROPARC Federation which repre- sents protected areas in 35 countries. Middlesea Insurance p.l.c. (C-5553) is authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authority to carry on both Long Term and General Business under the Insurance Business Act, 1998. MSV Life p.l.c. is authorised by the Malta Financial Services Author- ity to carry on long term business un- der the Insurance Business Act 1998. 16122014 878. THE Maltese Islands were beau- tifully represented at one of Lon- don's most iconic luxury events this week, when Maltese entrepre- neur and aroma therapist Stephen Cordina exhibited his fragrant collection of home and beauty products at the world-famous Top Drawer Fair in Olympia. Bringing together an inspira- tional showcase of thousands of carefully selected British and in- ternational suppliers and design- ers, Top Drawer is London's largest design-led gift trade event. This is the first time that a Maltese com- pany has exhibited at the fair, and Cordina's products have already generated plenty of attention from international retailers and buyers. Speaking at the fair, Cordina, who is accredited through the British Complementary Medical Association and the Swiss Federa- tion of Professionals, said: "I am delighted to be exhibiting, for the first time, at this top London fair and to be presenting my products to buyers from all over the world. So far we have had a high level of interest in the Stephen Cordina Collection and in Malta itself. "My strategy for 2015 is to fur- ther establish myself in Malta, as well as to further break into mar- kets such as Great Britain. I look forward to working with Malta Enterprise and the High Commis- sion in London, both of which have already given me great support." Maltese High Commissioner to the UK, Norman Hamilton vis- ited Cordina on his stand and was impressed by the innovative col- lection presented, as well as Cor- dina's determination to showcase the Maltese Islands. "It has been a pleasure to visit this prestigious fair and to view a Maltese artist and entrepreneur exhibit his own brand to such high standards . Stephen Cordina is surely making a name for himself and Malta in London," he said. Cordina is the first modern day creator of distinctive fragrances based on Maltese f lora and on the Punic Times. His candles that, when melted, turn into a body lotion, have been a hit, as has his range of bathroom products. Following on from the fair, the range of Aroma & Therapy prod- ucts will be permanently on sale in the UK, as well as in Malta and five other key European locations. Events DWARNA to discuss Working Mothers Tomorrow's edition of DWARNA will be discussing the role of Working Mothers. Presenter Mariella Dimech will be discussing the topic Maria Bugeja, Sandra Zammit and Dr Nicholas Briffa. Middlesea Group assists in the restoration of Majjistral Park DWARNA is broadcast tomorrow Thursday at 20:40 on TVM2 Stephen Cordina Aroma&Therapy at London's Top Drawer Creating a sustainable, safe and adequate European pension system THE European Union pension's landscape is in need of reforms as the percentage of the EU popula- tion covered by decent pension systems is too low, the Chairman of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Author- it y (EIOPA) Gabriel Bernardino told the 9th European Pension Funds Congress, held in Frank- furt on 18 November. Bernardino pointed out the di- verse nature of the various pen- sion systems available in Europe with "pay-as-you-go, occupation- al, and personal pension vehicles playing a very different role in the 28 member states. Irrespec- tive of their differences, all these systems face the same challenges to their abilit y to deliver on their financial promises. These chal- lenges include longevit y growth, a sluggish economic environ- ment, low employment, budget deficits and debt burdens, low interest rates and volatilit y of as- set values", he said. "To ensure that citizens will have a chance to maintain ap- propriate standards of living in their retirement, it is self-evi- dent that we need a comprehen- sive package of reforms," he said. "Changes to ensure the future sustainabilit y of public pay-as- you-go pension systems need to be accompanied by reforms incentivising the creation of funded complementary private schemes, be it second pillar oc- cupational pensions or third pil- lar personal pensions." When outlining EIOPA's policy priorities to respond to these challenges, Bernardino said that what is needed is a robust and proportionate EU regulatory framework capable of regaining the trust and confidence of EU citizens in private complemen- tary pension savings. To achieve this, the regulatory framework must offer enhanced sustain- abilit y, strong governance and full transparency, he said. Bernardino concluded, "creat- ing sustainable and adequate pension systems will be one of the major challenges for Europe in the coming years." He added that, at the EU level, EIOPA will work to make sure that EU citi- zens are well informed about their private pension schemes, get a fair deal and can trust that the promises made to them will be fulfilled He said "EIOPA is committed to creating a sustainable, safe and adequate pension system through a robust and propor- tionate EU regulatory framework whose purpose is to create real benefits for the EU, its economy, businesses and citizens." To find out what you need to do to plan your retirement to- day, use MSV Life's Retirement Planning Tool by visiting w w w. msvlife.com/myfuture. You can contact MSV Life at retirement@ msvlife.com, or on Freephone 8007 2220. You may also call at any branch of Bank of Valletta or APS Bank, or contact any of MSV Life's Tied Insurance Inter- mediaries. MSV Life p.l.c. is authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authorit y to carry on Long Term Business under the Insurance Business Act, 1998. High Commissioner Norman Hamilton visited Stephen Cordina at his stand Trees were planted at the Majjistral Park by employees of Middlesea Insurance and MSV Life