EU Affairs, Policy Development and Programme Implementation Directorate (Ministry for Resources and Beach Cleaning in Malta The Civil Protection Department New law in force against late payments Restoration to revamp Malta's heritage Successful first year for the European Health Insurance Card European project to promote e-government good practice 'portability' European Data Protection Supervisor presents guidelines on transparency and data protection EU eyes open source   gov.mt Newsletter Issue 25 - August 2005

	EU Affairs, Policy Development and Programme Implementation Directorate (Ministry for Resources and The EU Affairs, Policy Development and Programme Implementation Directorate at the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure services the Ministry with regards to EU and policy matters and initiatives.

	Beach Cleaning in Malta Beaches without doubt form an integral part of Malta's product and beach-cleaning is an important factor in their upkeep in order to keep patrons enjoying their day at the beach.

	The Civil Protection Department The Civil Protection Department has been effectively operating for the past five years and is still being developed. Previously, the Armed Forces of Malta and the Police Force used to absorb the functions of this Department and in recent years, it was decided to set up an appropriate Department for Civil Protection.

	New law in force against late payments As from July 1, 2005 the provisions of Directive 2000/35/EC on combating late payments in commercial transactions came into effect in Malta by way of Legal Notice No 233 of 2005.

	Restoration to revamp Malta's heritage The Restoration Sector within the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure have completed various restoration projects, including St Mary Magdalene Chapel in Dingli.

	Successful first year for the European Health Insurance Card A year after its launch, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) has proved far more popular than the previous 'E111' health insurance document. By 2008, the EHIC should be replaced by a smart card.

	European project to promote e-government good practice 'portability' Supported by the European Commission's eTEN programme, the 'Provide eGovernment Good Practice Portability' project - dubbed PPP - will enable the people behind best of breed e-government projects to meet face to face with parties from other administrations and explore practical ways of transferring good practice.

	European Data Protection Supervisor presents guidelines on transparency and data protection Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), has issued a paper providing guidelines for dealing with requests for access to public documents containing personal data.

	EU eyes open source Brussels is working on a new central repository holding information on open source in the public sector