Asteria Advisory will be attending the Palma International Boat Show 2025 from April 29, joining industry leaders and professionals for one of the most anticipated events in the yachting calendar.
This year’s show is particularly significant for Asteria, marking the official relaunch of its brand within the superyacht sector. As the Mediterranean charter season begins, Asteria is re-entering the maritime space with renewed focus, expanded services, and a clear commitment to supporting clients in the operation, management, and legal oversight of high-value assets.
The Palma show provides an ideal platform for networking, exploring new developments in yacht regulation and technology, and strengthening connections with collaborators and clients across the industry. It is always part of our priority to talk to our counterparts and colleagues in person. It keeps Asteria’s personal touch in the work we do. That is why we love to attend shows and in-person meetings in a time when technology has completely coverted how people connect.
While the team may be slightly slower to respond during this period, Asteria will return with fresh insights, new opportunities, and exciting news to share.
To connect during the Palma International Boat Show 2025, please get in touch.
Geraldine is attending the Palma International Boat Show
Asteria Advisory is pleased to announce its participation in the 14th Annual Mediterranean Business Aviation Conference (MBAC).
The event will be hosted by Aeropodium in Malta on March 28th, 2025. It will be held at the Grand Excelsior Hotel. Participants will have the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals.
This prestigious conference brings together industry leaders, legal experts and key stakeholders in the aviation sector. Discussion panels will discuss the latest trends, regulatory developments, and opportunities shaping the industry.
The MBAC is designed for manufacturers, operators, and industry organisations. The agenda includes robust discussions, analysis of the latest developments, exploration of the regional air taxi market, scrutiny of diverse business models and insights into regional infrastructure advancements.
Asteria Advisory is committed to staying at the forefront of industry developments. Our mission is Building Bridges – fostering valuable connections and providing clients with cutting-edge legal insights.
Asteria’s founder, Dr Geraldine Spiteri, will be moderating the discussions. Expert speakers from well-established and experienced professional backgrounds have confirmed their participation.
📍 Event Details: 📅 Date: March 28,2025 📌 Location: Malta – The Embassy Hotel. Valletta. 🎤 Hosted by: Aeropodium
For those wishing to attend the conference, you may book online.
🔹 For inquiries or to schedule a meeting: head over to our Contact Page. 🔹 Learn more about the conference:click here.
Stay tuned for insights and key takeaways from the event!
The Consumer PRO motto, “Collaboration is Key,” serves as an important reminder for us all. In the ever-evolving landscape of consumer rights, collaboration is essential for fostering progress and protecting consumers. This was an essential task for building consumer protection capacity across the EU. Here are some insights into the Consumer Pro Initative launched by BEUC.
BEUC is the umbrella group for 44 independent consumer organisations from 31 countries. Its main role is to represent these organisations to the EU institutions and defend the interests of European consumers. The acronym originates from its French name, ‘Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs’.
Capacity Building
Capacity building has become increasingly vital in this field, especially as consumer protection laws continue to evolve. Recent legislative changes have been notably more favorable to consumers, while also providing clearer obligations for traders. These updates aim to harmonize consumer protection regulations across the EU, ensuring fairness and transparency in all consumer transactions.
The Consumer PRO initiative, led by the European Commission and EISMEA, was designed to build capacity within consumer organizations across the EU. Implemented by BEUC, this initiative aimed to foster knowledge sharing and collaboration among professionals in the field.
The Best Practice Seminar: A Platform for Collaboration
The Best Practice Seminar is a key element of this initiative, open to a wide range of participants, including consumer organizations, national authorities, and European Consumer Centres (ECCs) in the EU, Norway, and Iceland. The seminar also welcomes other consumer professionals eager to learn and collaborate.
This seminar has been instrumental in enhancing the strategic planning of consumer law. Since 2020, two rounds of training have engaged over 2,000 consumer professionals, with participants receiving training either directly or through national seminars led by local trainers. Notably, the Czech Republic had the highest participation rate, while Malta, as a smaller jurisdiction, saw around 20 participants in 2020 and approximately 9 in 2022.
Focus on Digital Rights and Collective Redress
The 2020 training in Malta primarily focused on general consumer rights, with a brief session on digital rights. However, by 2022, digital rights received more in-depth attention due to increasing concerns about the lack of training and knowledge in this area. Additionally, a session on collective redress was introduced, though much of the legislation surrounding this remains unclear and underexplored.
Key Themes: Celebrate, Cultivate, and Collaborate
BEUC’s approach emphasises three core themes:
Celebrate: Recognizing the often-unsung daily efforts in consumer protection that are crucial to its success.
Cultivate: Fostering continuous learning and adapting to emerging challenges, such as the impact of AI on consumer rights. Inter-generational projects could help bridge the gap between traditional business practices and the evolving AI-driven landscape.
Collaborate: Encouraging cooperation among consumer professionals, organizations, and the BEUC to produce more meaningful results.
Looking Ahead
The Consumer PRO initiative has proven to be a vital tool for improving consumer law knowledge and building strong, collaborative networks across Europe. As we continue to navigate the evolving consumer protection landscape, we can expect more updates and opportunities for professionals to engage with this important work.
Stay tuned for more updates on this crucial initiative! and contact Geraldine Spiteri if you require any information about this initative.
Operation Pedestal 1942 is an historic – and heroic – World War II Allied operation, commemorated yearly in Malta. Therefore, veterans come together to remember the bravery of all those merchant seafarers, and naval and other military and civilian personnel who successfully delivered much-needed supplies to the tiny island of Malta.
Santa Maria Convoy
In Malta, the operation is known as Il-Konvoj ta’ Santa Maria (Santa Maria Convoy). This is because it coincides with the feast of the Blessed Virgin, on the 15th of August.
The Italians, who at that time were part of the Axis forces, refer to Operation Pedestal as the “Mid-August Battle” (Battaglia di Mezz’Agosto).
The most crucial cargo during Operation Pedestal was fuel. The fuel was onboard the SS Ohio, an American tanker, manned by a British crew.
The convoy sailed from Britain on the 3 August 1942 and passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean on the night of 9/10 August. The Axis forces pursued the convoy, causing tremendous losses to the Allied fleet with an estimated loss of over 500 seamen.
The convoy suffered many losses and only five of fourteen merchant ships that originally set sail on the convoy actually reached Malta.
Operation Pedestal Reaches Malta
Despite being costly for the Allies, Operation Pedestal was a great victory, specifically because of Malta’s strategic location in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
The victory allowed the Allied forces to eventually take control of North Africa and prepare for the invasion of Sicily.
Every year, the Royal Navy Association (Malta GC Branch) holds a commemorative service to remember this landmark event.
The celebrations involve the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), the Royal Navy Officers’ Association (Malta), Representatives from the British High Commission in Malta and other dignitaries.
Celebrating 80 Years
During the 80th Anniversary celebrations, the President of Malta made a formal address for the occasion. Later, the the Chancellor of the Anglican Church in Malta and a representative Chaplain of the Catholic Church in Malta offered prayers.
A wreath-laying ceremony ensued, during which dignitaries laid wreaths at sea from the bow of the P23, a patrol vessel of the Maritime Squadron of the AFM.
Members of the Armed Forces of Malta played the bagpipes and fired a gun salute as a sign of respect to the fallen. Members of the Royal Navy Officers Association (Malta) and the RNA Malta (GC Branch) carried their Association flags and wore their medals, while the family members of the last surviving crew member of the SS Ohio also attended.
The Nautical Institute (Malta Branch)
The Nautical Institute (Malta Branch), represented by the Branch Chairperson, Dr Geraldine Spiteri, was present at this ceremony celebrated on the 11 th of August.
The event was held at Pinto 3 Terminal, at the Valletta Grand Harbour Waterfront. This year, alongside the 80th Anniversary of Operation Pedestal, the Nautical Institute celebrates its 50th Anniversary.
The Malta Business Review recently nominated our Geraldine Spiteri to sit on a panel of judges during the Malta Best In Business Awards 2018. The event took place at Castello Dei Baroni in Wardija, Malta. Among the wide range of awards given, the nominations included a number of Best in Yachting Awards.
Besides Geraldine, the adjudication panel was composed of other reputable members of the business community. The Awards formed part of the Malta Best in Business Awards, an annual event hosted by Malta Business Review.
Participants hailed from a wide variety of service providers in the industry – lawyers, ship operators and agents, shipping companies and businesses. Indeed, there was a wide range of Maltese enterprises that have achieved high standards of excellence during the year. Some of the entities participating have a long-standing business history.
At this year’s event, the pool of nominees was highly varied and interesting. The participants had a few very close wins and there was some tough competition. Needless to say, the judges all expressed difficulties in choosing the winners because of the high degree of achievement displayed.
Closing the ceremony, the hosts wished everyone a prosperous year. Naturally, everyone is excited for the Best in Yachting Awards 2019.
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