ESIS Extension / Malta / IS Promotional Activities / Update Memo 5

Unlike the first three months of the year, the second quarter saw substantial activity, especially with the publication of the Government’s plan for the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector and the White Paper on the Information Practices Legislative Framework. But apart from this there were some interesting initiatives that confirm the good moment Malta is enjoying in the development of the Information and Communications Technologies, especially with the opening up of the markets and the building of the right legislation framework.

The liberalisation of the telecommunications sector was the main theme of a two-day conference held on the 18th and the 19th of May 2000. It was organised by the Zimmerman House Group and addressed by key figures in the sector, including the Minister for Communications, the highest officials of the service providers and the Maltese business and industry, and foreign speakers. The issue of liberalisation was hotly debated and widely reported in the local media.

A one-day conference examining the new proposed legislation on e-commerce, data protection and computer misuse was held on the 23rd of June at the Westin Dragonara Resort. Organised by EuropAdvise Ltd and Gatt Frendo Tufigno Advocates, the conference - "The New Cyberlaws and Your Business" – discussed the White Paper about the Information Practices Legislative Framework. The proceedings of the conference were submitted as official comments on the white paper.

The local benefits and applications of electronic commerce were discussed during this year's annual engineering conference organised by the Malta Chamber of Professional Engineers on the 29th of April 2000. The main aim of this conference was be to provide participants with a better under-standing of how the World Wide Web is reinventing the way people do business, with particular emphasis on technical aspects.

The Malta Communications Authority Act, 2000, contains the government’s plan for the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in Malta. The plan has been widely debated in the Maltese media and in several conferences and meetings since it is going to re-draw the landscape, in line with the EU’s Acquis Communautaire. The liberalisation will have the following time frame:

The government has come up with a policy to allow genuine online betting service companies to operate out of Malta. A number of international on-line betting companies have applied for such a license, including Stanley Leisure Gaming Group. The government is actively encouraging companies to come over after that towards the end of 1999 various companies had approached the government with a view to being granted a licence to operate from Malta. Licences will only be granted to companies that are already licensed in recognised jurisdictions and will only cover fixed odds sporting events. Companies operating cyber casinos or computer-generated games will not be given licences,

Aboutmalta.com is a new website launched with the aim of being the on-line guide to everything Maltese. In the future it would be transformed into the first Maltese online encyclopaedia. It offers a directory of articles and links about the various aspects of the Maltese way of life. aboutmalta.com has recruited a team of experienced contributors to edit the various sections of the website. The sections include Arts and Entertainment, Travel and Tourism, News and Current Affairs, Gozo & Comino, Science and Technology, Health and Medicine, History, Religion, Government and Politics, and the popular Maltese Outside Malta. The website is administered by MaltaMedia, a Maltese audio-visual production house specialising in multimedia and the Internet platform.

The Maltese Parliament has launched its website with direct access to the archives of debates, parliamentary questions, agendas and other documentation pertaining to the current legislature. A search facility makes the retrieval of information much easier and the archives of other legislatures should be put on-line too in the immedaite future.

SearchMalta, a Maltese portal site, launched the first ever Maltese on-line auctions. Maltese Internet users can now enjoy the same benefits offered by the larger online Auction Houses but with a better targeted demographic. The Search Malta Auctions offer similar functionalities found in larger online auctions including email notifications when someone outbids, anti-sniper protection, search facility and more.

www.travel is a free-to-air TV channel which anyone in Europe, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East can receive either via satellite or cable reception. The company is based in Malta. The channel provides viewers with up-to-date travel information on numerous destinations around the world. If someone is interested in a tour, he can then make a booking through the website at www.wwwtravel.net. www.travel is already received through cable networks in Russia, the Middle East, Romania, Pakistan, Estonia, Israel and now also in one of Germany's Federal States. The company is also hoping to break into the US market and Asia. At present, www.travel is broadcast in three languages - English, German and Russian but will add Polish, Italian, Arabic, French and Spanish later on. It will also be providing subtitles in the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

The Maltese government launched its official version of Malta's laws on compact disc. The CD-Rom covered a staggering 16,000 pages. The Statute Law Revision Act binds the government to publish the official version of Malta's laws every 10 years. In fact, Malta's laws were last published in 1990. The CD, which is the first time the laws are being launched in such a format, includes all the primary legislation updated up till March 1, 2000. It was the government's intention to have all 276 chapters updated on CD in the future, the minister said. Over the past 20 months, two unofficial CDs have been published, but the minister explained that it was only the government's version that was binding. It is the government's intention to have all the laws put on the government's official web site in the near future. This means that all amended laws that go through parliament will be available on the Internet in a matter of days.

Youthnet 2000 project, by the Secretariat for Youth in the Ministry for Education, was launched with the aim of creating a network of information and communication between the various youth organisations by means of tools such as computers and the Internet. Various local IT companies and ISPs are sponsoring the project.

Women who intend to return to the job market have an excellent opportunity of qualifying themselves for a job in the IT industry as the Malta Development Corporation and the Employment and Training Corporation are launching the National Computing Centre (NCC) International Diploma Computer Studies Course. The course, organised by the Malta Information Technology and Training Services (MITTS) Ltd, will be offered on a full and part time bases in both Malta and Gozo as well. The course, which costs Lm800, is being offered free of charge.

nt and Training Corporation are launching the National Computing Centre (NCC) International Diploma Computer Studies Course. The course, organised by the Malta Information Technology and Training Services (MITTS) Ltd, will be offered on a full and part time bases in both Malta and Gozo as well. The course, which costs Lm800, is being offered free of charge.

Please note that this report has been prepared under the sole responsibility of the ESIS II contractors.
It does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission, nor does the Commission accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information contained herein.
The ESIS Team of contractors welcomes any additional information or corrections.