US - Malta relations

Vanessa Macdonald spoke to US Ambassador to Malta about US - Malta affairs, 'some of which were brought up with her three predecessors and are still pending'. From the official US-Malta site:

Are you happy with the level of trade between the US and Malta? It currently represents 15.1 per cent of total exports from Malta (Lm113.2m down from Lm141.8m in 2004).

There are already many American firms here, employing around 3,000 Maltese, which is fairly significant. There is also American investment through franchises and exclusive representations. However, there is room for development in terms of trade, American investment and American presence in terms of companies. On the export side, we might see increases as, for the first time, American shipping lines are going through the Freeport.

The list of American companies represented here tends to be very high value-added like Baxter, Cardinal or Hetronic. Does this mean they have a good chance of staying on in Malta?

Absolutely. The Maltese workforce is very well educated, well trained and English speaking. This is why they are here for the long-term and why companies like Hetronic are looking at additional investment and employment. This trend will continue. In addition, 60 per cent of the tenants in the Dubai SmartCity are American electronic firms and high-tech firms. If SmartCity is successful here, it would attract these types of companies...