Joseph Muscat’s Post

It was a great pleasure to join former Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schussel and former Romanian Prime Minister, Adrian Nastase to discuss Bulgaria's membership of the Eurozone, at an excellent conference organised by the CFA Society Bulgaria and the Association of Consuls in Sofia. I made the point that almost a quarter of a century since its inception, the single currency has mirrored Europe's aspirations to play a key role on the global stage. By 2009, the Euro's overall foreign exchange rate activity had risen from 18% to 25%, thus gaining considerable traction against the US Dollar as global reserve currency. Nevertheless, ten years after the share of the Euro was down back to 20% and it is still there now. In a way what has been seen as the strength of the Euro, has proven to be also its main weakness. Most economists base their praise of the Euro on the fact that its management is independent of political power and is guaranteed by a strong institution that is not subject to political pressure. By contrast the Federal Reserve is seen as independent but subject to political "interference" of the sort that the ECB does not face. The Fed President has a counterpart in terms of the President and his Secretary of the Treasury. The ECB President faces nothing of the sort, at least directly. The fact of life is that while political interference in technical banking and economic matters undoubtedly faces diminishing returns, but constructive dialogue very definitely yields returns. Thus, for the Euro to achieve a dominant international status in line with the effective economic strength of the Eurozone, there needs to be an evolution of the underlying political entity of which it is the currency of. The Euro not achieving the aim of serving as our international currency means that Europeans are limiting their sovereignty. In essence, we have got the economics of the Euro mostly right but not its geopolitics and strategic aspects.

During the European Leagues General Assembly we had the opportunity to visit the Premier League #VAR hub in Stockley Park, getting insights mostly on the impact of #technology on the future of the game. Goal line technology and semi automatic offside are only the prelude to more innovations such as automatic signalling to linesmen to raise the offside flag, and data transmission from chipped balls which will help identify handballs. Probably, the role of Assistant Referees or Linesmen in #football will be completely redefined or even made redundant in the next decade as has already happened in top tennis tournaments. Of course, this is benchmarking with the top football competition worldwide. The main takeaway from this is that there is a clear risk of a widening technological gap within European, let alone global, professional football. The professionalisation of football leagues is the basis for this gap to be narrowed. Nevertheless, there is the need for interventions to be made which go beyond business models in order to bridge the gap. Innovation and technology should lead to further accessibility rather than the other way round. It will probably happen naturally in due course as the price of technology becomes more accessible, but short circuiting this process would be of benefit to the whole ecosystem and, importantly, to the booming women's football sphere.

An impressive takedown of the European Commission case against #Malta and why it should be a non-starter unless...

Hunger for knowledge is always an inspiration. I found plenty of it in Hyderabad when I visited Woxsen University. The packed programme of events organised by the Russell Belk Centre For International Relations, Woxsen University gave me an excellent overview of how the Indian state of Telangana is positioning itself in the global race for competitiveness. What I enjoyed most were the interactions with students and their proactive attitude throughout. Thank you to Chahat Mishra and all his team.

📣📣 CHOOSE THE NEW MALTA PREMIER SYMBOL Football fans will be able to share their opinion on which should be the new symbol of the Malta Premier. 68 submissions were made following a public call, with 4 designs being shortlisted and submitted to the public for its opinion. The concept brief revolved around the Maltese Falcon, which is a National symbol known worldwide. To vote for your favourite symbol log on to https://lnkd.in/e-9jU5vX Voting closes on 30 April 2024. The Malta Premier League reserves the right to discuss with the chosen designer any changes it deems fit.

Thrilled to share Michael Sheldrick's debut book, "From Ideas to Impact: A Playbook for Influencing and Implementing Change in a Divided World." Apart from the fact that Xinyi and him had the good taste of choosing #Malta as their wedding venue, Mick has been instrumental in mobilizing resources to combat extreme poverty, channeling over $40 billion globally as co-founder of Global Citizen. This book is a testament to his journey and the power of policy entrepreneurship to bridge the gap between lofty ideals and tangible outcomes. It's an essential read for anyone committed to making a social impact, offering a comprehensive eight-step playbook for driving policy change and fostering unity in times of division. Featuring compelling examples from the Transatlantic Slave Trade to contemporary climate justice efforts, it serves as an indispensable guide for changemakers across the spectrum. Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder, The Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace, captures the essence of Mick's message: "From Ideas to Impact gives us reason for hope. It proves change can happen when we begin dialogues with those whose actions we may not like!" The book releases on April 9th but be sure to pre-order the book today! https://gtly.to/dE-U6r-gC #SocialImpact #PolicyChange #FromIdeasToImpact

My opinion piece on #Israel being offered #EuropeanUnion membership on the precondition of full acceptance of the State of #Palestine.

Call for Submissions: Malta Premier Brand Identity and Iconic Championship Trophy Design Company Description Premier League Limited (PLL) is a joint venture between the Malta Premier League (MPL) and the Malta Football Association (MFA) tasked with organising the new top football league in Malta, which will be known as (Title Sponsor) Malta Premier. Brief Description PLL is launching a call for a total brand identity of the new league. This includes creating an appropriate logo and a consistent visual package. This logo will be used in all presentations on all media platforms. The logo emblem will be worn on the shirt sleeves of all participating teams. The logo should be flexible to adapt to the colour scheme of the Title Sponsor. Furthermore, the package should include the design for a new Iconic Championship Trophy which will be retained for a year by reigning Champions. The latter should include dimensions and suggested materials to be used. Theme The PLL wants the Malta Premier to be identified directly with the country, tying it to both history and pop culture. While the Maltese Cross is undoubtedly the most identifiable symbol, a massively underutilised icon is The Maltese Falcon, whose name and image has considerable international resonance. Moreover, the choice of a mascot related logo, as in the case of the English Premier League's Lion, makes the case for an iconic image. Timeframe All submissions need to be submitted in electronic formats to [email protected] by 15 March 2024. Each designer may submit up to 3 submissions. The winning submission will be announced by 31 May 2024. PPL reserves the right not to give the award if it feels that none of the submissions reached the necessary standard. Upon submission, the designer will be relinquishing all rights to PLL in case the submitted design being chosen. The PLL reserves the right to choose the brand identity from one submission or designer and the trophy design from another. Prizes The winning submission for brand identity will be awarded €2,000 while the winning submission for the Iconic Championship Trophy design will be awarded €1,000.

We are actively #hiring! Know anyone who might be interested?