Business bureau welcomes EC work programme but warns island states ignored
European Commission failed to take realities of island states into account, bureau says
The Malta Business Bureau (MBB) has welcomed the European Commission’s work programme for next year while warning that the challenges facing island states had been ignored.
In a statement, the bureau said that while it welcomed proposals to cut red tape, the commission had “once again failed... to address the specific challenges that island states such as Malta face” due to connectivity limitations.
The commission’s work programme for 2026 focuses on regulatory simplification while introducing targeted measures in strategic areas such as energy, raw materials, digitalisation, and labour shortages, the MBB noted.
Reacting to the programme, CEO Mario Xuereb said the bureau was “glad to see a continued emphasis on simplification and competitiveness in the Commission’s plans”.
“While several legislative revisions have already been proposed this year, the work is far from complete”, he said. “EU policymakers must remain committed to making Europe a more attractive and competitive place to do business.”
The MBB said it expected the commission to revise the Combined Transport Directive to reflect island states’ realities, describing it as “crucial for Malta to ensure that EU simplification and competitiveness progress together”.
It urged the commission and member states to ensure regulatory simplification remained fair and inclusive across the EU, with Xuereb saying it was a message that must be “consistently reiterated if we truly aim for a cohesive and prosperous union”.
The bureau had reiterated the point to Maltese and EU policymakers, he added.
The MBB noted that the commission has published six ‘omnibus proposals’ aimed at streamlining EU business rules, ranging from ESG reporting requirements and EU funds to chemicals and small mid-cap company definitions.
“However, EU policymakers have yet to reach an agreement on the first six omnibus proposals, leaving much of the simplification agenda still to be delivered”, it said, adding it was committed to monitoring developments in the interests of Malta’s business community.
The Malta Business Bureau is the EU business advisory organisation of The Malta Chamber and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), and a partner of the Enterprise Europe Network.