MBR_ISSUE 53_JULY-compressed (3)

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Malta Business Review CONTENTS Issue 53 CASE STUDY: BLOCKCHAIN 26 HOI LIECHTENSTEIN! Best known for its private banks for wealthy, international clients, at the end of last year Liechtenstein decided to also become a crypto hub. 27 BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY Malta’s new regulatory framework built for BT. FEATURES AND STORIES 06 28 MALTA ANNOUNCES NEW REFORMS TO STRENGTHEN THE FIGHT AGAINST FINANCIAL CRIME We follow the creation of new Financial Organised Crime Agency. COVER STORY 06 DRIVING THE BEST OUTCOMES Interview with Margaret Brincat, Director, MBR Publications Ltd EU INTERVIEW 12 INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP VON BROCKDORFF Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Rapporteur for the EESC opinion on towards a stronger international role of the euro. 12 14 FEATURE: NEW EC PRESIDENT 14 URSULA VON DER LEYEN: IN HER OWN WORDS ‘My aim is the United States of Europe,’ the nominee for Commission president once said. ONE-ON-ONE 16 INTERVIEW WITH FIYAZ MUGHAL Founder and Director of Faith Matters talks about fighting the right battle to safeguard EU’s core values. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 20 INTERVIEW WITH MARK A. SCHAPIRO, U.S. CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES An influential and experienced diplomat, the U.S. Chargé D’Affaires shares his opinion on current affairs. OUR GOLDEN PARTNERS 16 20 30 THE EU’s MAIN STAKEHOLDERS ARE THE ORDINARY CITIZENS Addressing their concerns should be our priority, says Leo Brincat, Member of the European Court of Auditors. 37 INSIGHTS FROM MANAGING CHANGE AT STEWARD MALTA Ralf Haake, Director of Organisational Culture and Development, Steward Health Care International. SIMON ESTATES 40 IDENTIFYING YOUR HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Mark Vella talks about digital and LED signage. 48 HOW VIRGIN SUPPORTS THE LGBT+ COMMUNITY Why Virgin has long been known as a balanced and equal opportunities employer. 4
MALTA BUSINESS REVIEW Malta Business Review The Mediterranean is already a geo-strategic area where several roots of insecurity threaten to escalate and put regional and international stability at risk. The regional trends that need to be urgently addressed include “collapse of failed states, illegal migration, the developing safe and lawful routes for asylum seekers and refugees into the EU and on the implementation of the Common European Asylum System on tackling criminal smuggling, trafficking and labour exploitation.” PUBLISHER MBR Publications Limited OFFICES Highland Apartment – Level 1, Naxxar Road, Birkirkara, BKR 9042 +356 2149 7814 EDITOR Martin Vella TECHNICAL ADVISOR Marcelle D’Argy Smith SALES DIRECTOR Margaret Brincat DESIGN MBR Design ADVERTISING Call: 9940 6743 or 9926 0163/4/6; Email: margaret@mbrpublications.net or admin@mbrpublications.net CONTRIBUTORS Leo Brincat; George Carol; Ralf Haake; Tomas Kellner; Eleanor Ross; George Sammut; Claire Coe Smith; Mark Vella; Zia Weise SPECIAL THANKS DOI; Edwards Lowell & Co; European Parliament Information Office in Malta; European Parliament, Directorate- General for Communication/Press Office; European Research Council; GOPAcom/ESP/ EC; HSBC; LinkedIn; MORGEN EUROPA; POLITICO SPRL; Politico Playbook; PTV Group; Taylor & Francis Group; Virgin PRINT PRODUCTION Gutenberg Press Ltd QUOTE OF THE MONTH “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” – Anon Disclaimer All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied and reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission of the publisher. All content material available on this publication is duly protected by Maltese and International Law. No person, organisation, other publisher or online web content manager should rely, or on any way act upon any part of the contents of this publication, whether that information is sourced from the website, magazine or related product without first obtaining the publisher’s consent. The opinions expressed in the Malta Business Review are those of the authors or contributors, and are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. Talk to us: E-mail: martin@mbrpublications.net Twitter: @MBRPublications Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaltaBusinessReview The absence of a security arrangement in the Mediterranean has resulted in a security vacuum in this geo-strategically sensitive part of the world. This security vacuum creates opportunities for forces of insecurity to strive with the proliferation of arms in a region “where military procurement is already one of the highest in the world”. Whereas migrant smuggling, trafficking and labour exploitation are distinct legal phenomena tackled by distinct legal frameworks at Union and international level, requiring properly targeted responses, while often overlapping in practice; and whereas criminal smuggling and trafficking networks can change their modus operandi very quickly, thus requiring rapidly adapted responses based on the most recent and accurate data. Efforts to counter the criminal smuggling of migrants should not affect those providing humanitarian assistance to irregular migrants. We condemn the fact that the EC has had to wait until the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, which was followed by a strong reaction of protest and solidarity by civil society, to re-think its failed migration policies with a holistic approach that includes development, cooperation and respecting the principle of Policy Coherence for Development, as well as find ways and means to halt illegal migration, which is disrupting European member states such as Italy and Malta. We believe that European migration policy should distinguish between ‘refugees’ and ‘economic migrants’ and underline that different approaches should be taken to these two categories of migrants. Emphasising that the men, women and children affected by the current crisis are fleeing religious or political persecution, war, dictatorship, oppression, torture, decapitation, etc., and that their rights as human beings are nonnegotiable, while the majority of them are covered by the 1951 Geneva Convention on refugees, which has been ratified by all 28 Member States, it is necessary to try to stem this unprecedented illegal migration exodus. Illegal migrants are not registered in official records, thus they avoid contact with government and formal sectors. Also, illegal migrants break laws and rules and clearly challenge the credibility of judicial systems and confidence in constitutionally derived power and authority. Their presence also conflicts with public transfer systems. Illegal foreign workers do not pay direct income taxes, but on the other hand use public goods or publicly subsidised services like schooling or medical treatment for their children. ‘Illegal’ compete with ‘legal’ for job opportunities but have the possibility to avoid certain obligations, costs, taxes and fees compulsory for legal workers. These legal, economic and social provocations make it easily understandable that politicians and voters are not willing to accept the phenomenon of illegal migration. Most of the data on illegal migration are sometimes politically biased and misused. But the problems with illegal immigration in general, and how much it costs to our economy, the health care system in particular, are not practical. They are political. One of our two major parties is for open borders and the other is (albeit tepidly) for controlling them. What is ironic is that both parties also agree to disagree on such an issue. Only by standing up for progress and serious development across the sub-saharan Africa and Middle East, by promoting democracy, freedom and the observance of human rights can the developed states of the Western world undermine those championing intolerance and campaigns of terror. Wishing you a good read. Martin Vella Editor-in-Chief Malta Business Review’s editorial opinions are decided by its Editor, and besides reflecting the Editor’s opinion, are written to represent a fair and impartial representation of facts, events and provide a correct analysis of local and international news. Agents for: www.maltabusinessreview.net 5
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