Malta e-Commerce Digital Strategy Launched
On 16th October 2014 the Government of Malta launched the Malta e-Commerce Digital Strategy (“Strategy”). This Malta e-Commerce Digital Strategy complements the Digital Malta Strategy and is yet another manifestation of Malta’s aspiration to become a country prosperous from the digital industry.
The Malta e-Commerce Digital Strategy covers the seven-year period 2014-2020 and has the objective of aiding the Maltese business to further exploit and capitalize on the e-Commerce market. In this regard, Malta is an ideal candidate as consumer demand for e-Commerce goods is particularly high and in fact most Maltese regularly shop online. Furthermore, Malta is the second best performing European Member State for sales via electronic data interchange.
In order to achieve its objectives, the Malta e-Commerce Digital Strategy has been based on 4 different pillars; a brief delineation thereof is found below.
Pillar 1: Engendering trust in e-Commerce
The first Pillar identifies a set of measures to sustain and grow local e-Commerce business through the demand side, particularly by enticing those who may still not have realized the advantages that online shopping may offer. This Pillar will partly be achieved through the implementation of various educational and ongoing awareness programs.
Pillar 2: Transforming micro-enterprises
The second Pillar aims to address the challenges that micro-enterprises face in order to adapt to today’s digital economy, particularly by trying to facilitate the structural changes which such enterprises need to undergo in order to keep up with the e-Commerce industry.
Pillar 3: Taking SMEs and industry to the next level
The third Pillar provides a number of initiatives to aid and drive the shift to e-Commerce by SMEs having the potential to capitalize from the present web technologies. Particular focus will be provided to those sectors having the potential to tap into foreign niche markets.
Pillar 4: Making Malta a global eCommerce player
The fourth and last Pillar reviews and identifies the existing opportunities through which Malta may attract foreign e-Commerce oriented business. In this regard, a policy will be established which is exclusively aimed at attracting global and European e-Commerce players to base operations in Malta. A helpdesk offering guidance related to the setting up of operations in Malta will also be established to support new foreign e-Commerce ventures.
Further to the above, implementation of the aforementioned Pillars coupled with Malta’s ideal geographical location and EU Membership, no doubt make Malta one of the ideal candidates to spear-head the global e-Commerce industry and further Malta’s ambitious digital objectives.
We at Chetcuti Cauchi, have long been monitoring Malta's e-Commerce regulation and can provide any required advice with regards to any business planning to set-up an e-Commerce ventrue in Malta.
