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A 22-strong business delegation organised by Malta Enterprise registered encouraging business prospects following successful meetings held in Tunisia, with some of the delegates being close to reaching business deals or cooperation agreements.The business delegation, which met around 100 Tunisian enterprises during its five-day stay, comprised companies operating in sectors such as professional services, engineering, building andconstruction, food and beverages, ICT, chemicals, tools as well as environmental services.A number of delegates had already formed part of other business delegation

The Hon. Minister for Finance, the Economy and Investment, Tonio Fenech, will lead a teleconference to discuss potential business opportunities and investment between Maltese and U.S. companies interested in setting up in Libya. The U.S. side, led by Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business affairs Jose Fernandez in Washington and U.S. Ambassador Gina Abercrombie - Winstanley in Malta, will include leading U.S. companies from various industries interested in doing business in North Africa, possibly via Malta.

A 15-strong business delegation from Montenegro took part in a Business Forum organised by Malta Enterprise during which they were given details of Malta's business environment and the opportunities the country offers particularly to enterprises from the Balkan State.The delegation, which was accompanying the President of Montenegro H.E.

Malta Industrial Parks Limited (MIP) and the General Retailers and Traders Union (GRTU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that sets out the framework which will eventually see the redevelopment of the Ta' Qali Crafts Village as a centre for traditional Maltese artisans.The MOU sets out MIP's commitment towards the upgrading of the entire village through embellishment and landscaping works, upgrading of the infrastructure in the common areas, as well as resurfacing works on some of the roads.

Malta Enterprise has reached an agreement with the General Workers' Union (GWU) and signed a new Collective Agreement, through which a number of pending issues between the parties have also been settled.The agreement, which was reached following discussions held between ME's senior management officials, the Public Administration Collective Bargaining Unit (PACBU) and the GWU's representatives, is a compromise between the demands and expectations of all parties and is intended to strengthen the stability at ME, with its employees being granted further and improved conditions of employment in

Around 50 international companies looking at investment opportunities were given details about Malta's business environment and the country's attractive offering during a conference organised by Malta Enterprise at the EIRE expo held in Milan.With EIRE attracting some of the major stakeholders in the real estate and infrastructural projects industry in Europe, the companies took particularly keen interest in Malta as a gateway to other neighbouring markets such as post-revolution Libya, which offers a myriad of opportunities within this industry as it goes through a reconstruction process.M

Malta Enterprise has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Enterprise Lithuania, the business promotion agency in the largest of the Baltic States.The MOU with Enterprise Lithuania, which paves the way for increased collaboration to facilitate trade and investment between the two countries, was signed on the sides of a Business Forum held in Vilnius during the State Visit by the President of Malta H.E.

Around 20 Maltese companies from the building and construction sector have been assisted by Malta Enterprise to participate in the Libya Build 2012, where they had the opportunity to showcase their products and services, establish relations with their Libyan counterparts and explore business prospects within post-revolution Libya.The companies - which operate in a wide range of sectors, such as lifts and electromechanical systems, construction materials, furniture and fittings, environmental solutions, turnkey contractorsand project management, paints, printing, aluminium, as well as garage

Malta Enterprise has led a 15-strong business delegation to the city of Milan, which is one of the major hubs of economic activity in neighbouring Italy.The Lombardy region is indeed one of the main motors of the Italian economy, on its own contributing more than one fifth of the entire country's GDP.

The European Union's Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) is assisting public and private entities, particularly SMEs, to embark on eco-innovation projects through which they make better use of resources or reduce negative environmental impact of their operations.Around €35million are available for the funding of projects through the Eco-Innovation initiative this year, with the European Commission funding up to 50% of the project's eligible costs for successful applicants.By encouraging projects for the first market piloting of products, techniques, services and processes that re