Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/762759
2 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2016 News 42% expect income to rise in 2017 JAMES DEBONO IN the eurozone, the Maltese are the most optimistic with regard to the prospect of an increase in their income next year, according to a survey commissioned by the Euro- pean Commission. The survey shows 23% of Maltese have seen incomes increase from last year, 12% have seen it decrease while 59% saw no change. The Germans and Austrians were the most likely to see their income increase (30%) while only 3% of Greeks had the same experience. But the Maltese are the most likely to expect their income to in- crease next year. While 42% of Maltese expect their income to rise next year, only 16% of fellow respondents in the entire eurozone have a similar ex- pectation. The Irish – 33% expect- ing their income to increase next year – are the second most opti- mistic. The survey shows that 50% of the Maltese have travelled at least once outside their country in the past year – compared to only 23% of Greeks, 30% of Spaniards and 36% of Italians. The most likely to travel abroad (88%) were the landlocked Luxembourgers, whose country borders France, Germany and Bel- gium. 62% want 1c and 2c coins abolished The same survey shows that 62% of the Maltese want the 1 and 2 euro cent coins to be abolished and would agree to a mandatory up and down rounding of the final sum of purchase, depending on whether the sum is closer to 0 or to 5 cents. Local support for abolishing the 1 and 2 euro cents has grown by nine points in the past two years. Support for abolishing the 1 and 2 cents is strongest in Finland (85%) and weakest in Greece (52%). On average 62% of respondents in the euro area want the two coins abolished. 64% of the Maltese think that having the euro as their currency was good for the country. The Irish are the most likely to see the euro as a positive for their country (81%), followed by Luxembourg- ers (74%) the Austrians (67%), the Finns (66%) and the Germans and Maltese (64%). The Cypriots and the Italians were the least likely to agree. Republic Day Companion • Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona KoM Paul Cremona was born in 1946 in Valletta and joined the Domini- can Order in 1962. On 26 January 2007, Paul Cremona was appointed Archbishop of Malta at St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta until 2014. Officer • Philip Sciberras UoM Born in 1945, Philip Sciberras served as a Judge for eight years and was also one of the founding members of the Moviment Qawmien Letterarju for the promotion of Maltese literature and culture in the sixties. He serves as Malta's non-resident Ambassador to Lebanon. Honorary Officers • Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley UoM Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is an American diplomat and long- est-serving United States Ambassador to Malta, having served from May 2012 until January 2016. She is an active volunteer mentor to young people, especially women and minorities. • Sandro Gozi UoM Born in 1968, Sandro Gozi is an Italian politician and member of the Italian parliament. He has worked closely with the Maltese govern- ment to identify policies and priorities related to Malta's Presidency of the European Council. • Lord Mandelson UoM Lord Mandelson was born in 1953. He served as the UK's EU Com- missioner for Trade up to 2008, before joining the British cabinet. Mandelson negotiated several bilateral agreements for Malta and has played a valuable role in supporting Malta's endeavours to deepen its European vocation, build on its Commonwealth heritage and affirm its future as a trading nation and financial hub. • Rachid Marif UoM Rachid Marif was born in Algeria in 1943 and was the Algerian Am- bassador in Malta between 2005 and 2016. In 1993, Marif was ap- pointed Minister for Tourism and has been serving as Counsellor for the President of the Republic and Director General of Protocol since 1999. Members • Clifford Borg-Marks MOM Clifford Borg-Marks has distinguished himself for his contribu- tion to the development of political and economic relations between Malta and China. He was appointed Malta's Ambassador to China in 2013 and continues to serve as non-resident Ambassador to Thailand. • Maria Camilleri MOM Born in Rabat in 1952, Maria Camilleri is renowned in the fields of education, media and politics. Together with the Imam of the Maltese Muslim Community, she co-founded and was appointed Head of the Mariam Al Batool School in Paola for 17 years, making her the only Christian headmistress in Muslim schools worldwide. • Fr Anthony Edmond Caruana MOM Born in 1947 in Valletta, Fr Anthony Edmond Caruana is the Edi- torial Director of the Vatican Publishing House LEV. He flew with Pope Benedict XVI to Malta and published his speeches in an Italian- Maltese edition prepared by Prof Joseph Axiaq. Pope Francis also ap- pointed Caruana as Dean of the Minor Penitentiaries in the Patriar- chal Basilica of St Peter. • David Mifsud MOM Born in 1971, David Mifsud has distinguished himself for his ac- complishments in the biological sciences particularly in the field of entomology and the preservation of honeybees. He provided detailed information on more than 1,800 living organisms and described over 50 new species of insects to science. • Karmen Mikallef Buhagiar (Posthumous) MOM Karmen Mikallef Buhagiar was born in 1922 and used to correspond with the national poet Dun Karm for many years. In the 1970s she en- couraged and provided financial backing to Prof Oliver Friggieri who compiled and published Dun Karm's poems in Maltese. • Godfrey A. Pirotta MOM Born in 1947, Godfrey Pirotta is renowned for his outstanding con- tribution in the fields of education and public policy both in Malta and abroad. He currently serves as Malta's non-resident Ambassador to the Czech Republic. • Joseph Zammit Tabona MOM Born in 1944, Joseph Zammit Tabona has served as the High Com- missioner for Malta to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland between 2009 and 2013 and as Non-Resident Ambassador to the Re- public of Ireland. On 1 August 2013, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat appointed him Special Envoy for Investment Promotion. Honorary Members • Stephan Drewes MOM Stephan Drewes had a distinguished career as Chief Executive Of- ficer of Lufthansa Technik Malta (LTM) between September 2011 and August 2016. He has now returned to Hamburg but retains close links to the island and also holds the position of Chairman of the board of directors at Lufthansa Technik Malta. • Alexander Piltz MOM Alexander Piltz is a renowned entrepreneur who has established two companies in Malta that produce sachet packaging machines and precision tools for the high end machine tool industry. His compa- nies became synonymous with quality engineering, precision tools and quality sachet machines.