English is widely spoken in business circles and, on the whole, Maltese businesspeople have a conservative approach to business protocol. Punctuality is expected and appreciated and dress must be smart. The best months for business visits are October to May.
Office hours:Mon-Fri 0830-1730, Sat 0800-1300.
Economy:Malta's agricultural sector is small, with potatoes being the only major export commodity. With few natural resources, governments have sought to develop the economy through tourism and manufacturing. The industrial sector includes textiles, footwear and clothing, plastics, printing, electronic components and electrical equipment. The old naval dockyard used by the British now operates as a commercial shipyard.
Malta's membership to the EU was endorsed in March 2003 by popular referendum. Negotiations progressed fairly smoothly and Malta joined the EU in May 2004. The country joined the eurozone on 1 January 2008.
US$ 8.8 billion (2010).
Main exports:Potatoes, machinery, manufactured goods, fish, pharmaceutical products
Main imports:Machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, and mineral fuels and oils
Main trading partners:Italy, France, UK, USA and Germany.
There are no area codes. Public telephone booths are available.
Mobile phone:Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.
Internet:There are internet cafes in the main towns and resorts. Most hotels offer wireless connection.
Post:Good postal services exist within the island. Mail within the EU usually takes around five working days to arrive. Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 0730-1245.
Media:Daily and weekly publications appear in both English and Maltese. In-Nazzjon Taghna and L'Orizzont are the Maltese dailies, with The Malta Independent, The Times of Malta, Malta Star and Malta Today being the English equivalent. Imported papers are available.
Television is a broad mix of English, Italian and Maltese with TVM being the national station, Super One TV being owned by the Labour Party, and Net TV by the Nationalist Party. There are commercial radio stations such as Bay Radio. Radio 101 is owned by the Nationalist Party and Super One Radio is owned by the Malta Labour Party.
