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(From the Times of Malta, 6/05/07, by Herman Grech)

Malta has placed within the top 25 in the Economist Intelligence Unit's
report on e-readiness, outpacing 14 other EU member states.

Placing ahead of countries like Italy, Estonia and Spain, Malta obtained a
score of 7.56 out of a maximum 10 to place 24th in the chart dominated by
Denmark, the US and Sweden.

It is the second certificate for Malta in just over a month after the World
Economic Forum ranked the Maltese government as the second most successful
administration in the world in promoting the use of information and
communications technology.

The EIU defines e-readiness as the state of play of a country's information
and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure.

E-readiness is derived from more than just the number of computers,
broadband connections and mobile phones in the country. Also critical is the
citizens' ability to use technology skilfully, the transparency of the
business and legal systems, and the extent to which governments encourage
the use of digital technologies.

The EIU works out its e-readiness rankings as a weighted collection of
nearly 100 quantitative and qualitative criteria, organised into six
categories measuring the various components of a country's social,
political, economic and technological development.

This is the first time Malta is being assessed by the EIU in the 69-country
report.

Malta's highest contributor to its high world-ranking scores is the
implementation of the government's policy and vision, which earned a score
of 8.25. Likewise, Malta fared well in the legal environment and the
consumer and business adoption.

The island's ranking was dented by relatively poor scores in the
connectivity and technology infrastructure and the social and cultural
environment fields.

The IT ministry said the report confirms Malta's attractiveness as an
investment destination and will continue to reinforce the island's excellent
reputation in the ICT industry.

Coupled with high profile investments associated with the launch of Smart
City Malta, it will continue to make ICT the new pillar of Malta's economy.

"This worldwide publication confirms Malta's government as an ideal partner
for investors and this is especially true for the global ICT industry," the
ministry said.

Malta's alliance with IBM, which contributed to the survey, will continue to
secure results over the coming days with the announcement of traineeships
for Maltese management and ICT professional in IBM's research and
operational institutions worldwide.

The IT ministry will also shortly be announcing the second edition of its
'My Potential' programme intended to fund training of students and
mid-career professionals in industry-recognised ICT certifications.

IT Minister Austin Gatt described the EIU certificate as probably the most
important one yet secured by Malta.

"It shows us to be just as competitive and as attractive as we claim to be
and this is confirmed by one of the most respected independent global
economic analysts. This high ranking poses a new challenge: to keep up this
great record, to improve on it and to meet the demand for investment and new
jobs it will surely bring about as a direct consequence of it. We have never
been readier."