"ISPs are an important link in facilitating the path of Maltese businesses and start-ups to thrive online. We need them to offer the best connectivity and fastest speeds at affordable prices."

MEP Therese Comodini Cachia made these remarks during her opening speech of the conference Growing and Thriving Online that she co-hosted with Google in Malta.

She added, "digital is a way of life for millions of persons and businesses and consumers transact online in a way that changed the demand for goods, services and consumption of content. Using digital tools help innovate business models and for this to happen we need strong ISPs, who are not there to pull down sites which public figures may feel are menacing, but are there to provide the best connectivity and the fastest possible speeds at a fair and affordable price. We also expect them to live up to their promises of advertised speeds."

Comodini Cachia emphasised that SMEs that fully embrace the web grow up to four times faster, create more jobs twice faster and 50% more likely to sell products and services outside their region.

Comodini Cachia said that,"faced with this, I could not stop at merely preparing policy, but felt the need to contribute towards more opportunities for Maltese businesses, start-ups and innovators".

Enrico Bellini from Google thanked Comodini Cachia for the opportunity to further train Maltese start-ups and businesses. He encouraged participants to comprehend further the importance of going digital and that is why Google will continue to support European businesses and their presence online and committed to train 2 million Europeans.

"A European Commission's research shows that by 2020, the European Union will face a shortfall of more than 800,000 unfilled vacancies in ICT related jobs," he said.

During the first part of the event, the attendees were addressed by a panel of speakers that included MEP Therese Comodini Cachia, Polish MEP Michal Boni, Malta Business Bureau's CEO Joe Tanti, Entrepreneur Paul Doyle and blogger Caroline Paris.

Comodini Cachia stated that "we were born creative and innovative, and these are the skills that need to be empowered in schools as entrepreneurs need to be adventurous. In Malta the sense of entrepreneurship is growing and that is why we need to help business into growing and thriving online."

Michal Boni emphasised that, "we need much more open solutions and guidelines in order to change our mentality and be more adjusted for the digital revolution".

Malta Business Bureau's CEO Joe Tanti said "that only 7% of smes in Europe are doing cross bordering business". He emphasised on the need of a single framework and harmonised laws throughout Europe that will help for 57% European companies to start or increase their efforts in doing business online with a vast contribution to Europe's economy and the creation of more jobs.

Before the discussion, digital strategist and consultant specialist Alex Grech briefed the audience on digital literacies and how to seek to be empowered as digital citizens. Google's Diego Culli delivered a presentation about taking the best from the web.

The event also featured two workshops from the Google experts. Think Audience and Think Multiscreen, one oriented towards expanding businesses for exports and the other centred on expanding through different platforms especially mobile.

Due to high interest by local SMEs, parts of the event were streamed live on MEP Therese Comodini Cachia's facebook page.

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