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The Atlas Group has its roots very firmly set in the Maltese shipping industry of the 1920s. Through the political and commercial climate of the period, agencies for various British insurance companies were established, dealing with mainly marine cargo business and following that, accident and fire business. Following the Second World War, motor business began to establish itself in Malta and local agencies began to flourish.

When, during the late 1990s, Malta followed the worldwide pattern of buyouts and mergers, four local agencies merged with a long term view to eventually forming a local company. The name Atlas was revived as a way of acknowledging the significance of the group’s history during a period of focus on future growth and opportunities. Atlas became a local insurance company, as opposed to an agency for an overseas insurer, just after Malta’s accession to the EU, on 1 May 2004.

In 2006 Atlas Insurance restructured to become a protected cell company, a development which takes advantage of new regulations under the Maltese Companies Act. This restructuring attracts foreign investments and facilitate Atlas’ emergence into international markets by enabling captive insurance companies to set up in Malta.

In 2023 the company successfully obtained authorization for its UK branch.

Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery

The Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery was inaugurated in 1869 following a seven-year construction period that cost 33,000 British pounds. The main consideration in establishing the location of the new cemetery was that it should be in closew proximity to the highly urbanised Grand Harbour. The design of the new cemetery was entrusted to the Maltese architect Emmanuele Luigi Galizia, who was in the employment of the Public Works Department as Superintendent.

The current main office was actually a convent of the Franciscan Capuchin Friars who ran the place and lived there until 1979. That year, they moved out of the convent for health reasons since living in a valley came with a range of health issues, but continued administering the cemetery until 2010 when they gave up the role due to dwindling numbers.

The Addolorata Cemetry is now under the management of the Environmental Health Directorate, Burials Regulatory Unit.

Pieta Ta’ Braxia Cemetery

In 1857, the Ta’ Braxia Cemetry at Pieta was officially inaugurated as the first extramural cemetery on the island that was originally intended to be open to all religious faiths.

It was a mercantile tribunal of the country. It was composed of a judge and two consuls who were supposed to be well versed in mercantile affairs. In the case of appeals the parties could ask that a body of merchants be convened in the manner laid down in the Codice de Rohan.

The history of social security in Malta dates back to the 19th century with the first state-sponsored pension scheme for police officers in 1885. The Department of Social Security was officially established in 1956 with the enactment of the National Assistance Act and the National Insurance Act. These acts laid the foundation for a contributory and non-contributory benefits system, providing financial support to citizens in various.

Established in 1977, Enemalta is the leading energy services provider in the Maltese Islands, entrusted with the distribution of electricity, and the development of the national electricity distribution network.

Established in 1999, GasanMamo Insurance is the result of a strategic merger between Gasan Insurance Agency and Galdes & Mamo Ltd, two esteemed insurance providers. The forward-thinking Board of Directors from both entities anticipated the vast opportunities presented by this amalgamation, capitalizing on the advantages of enhanced critical mass and synergies.

In 2003 the agency turned its operations to a comprehensive insurance company.

The company’s mission is to be a prime operator in Malta’s financial services sector while achieving sustainable growth for all stakeholders and simultaneously maintaining the highest professional standards.

Heritage Malta was created in 2002 when it replaced the former Museums Department.

The Comitato Permanente Universitario was set up by Arturo Mercieca (later Chief Justice Sir Arturo Mercieca) in 1901 as the student union of the University of Malta. In 1935, the British colonial administration dissolved the Comitato Permanente Universitario, led by George Borg Olivier. The student union eventually reinstated itself as the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU) / The University Students’ Council.

The Cabinet Office was introduced in Malta in 1961 through the Blood Constitution.

The Blood Constitution provided for the office of the UK Commissioner who represented the UK Government (the Governor represented the Queen). According to Article 28 of the Constitution, the UK Commissioner was to be given the Cabinet agenda, a list of all matters discussed in the Cabinet that were not on the agenda, a statement of Cabinet decisions on matters affecting defence or external affairs and all papers presented to the Cabinet on defence and foreign affairs.

After the first election under this Constitution (17-19 February 1962), Giorgio Borg Olivier was asked to form a Government. He refused to form a Government that would be obliged to forward these Cabinet documents to the UK Commissioner. He accepted the assignment after being assured that the Constitution would be amended. In fact he was sworn in as Prime Minister on 3rd March, and Parliament convened on 26th April and the Cabinet convened for the first time on 27th August, 1962.

The office of the Chief Secretary was the head administrative office of the Civil Government. Through it were channeled all departmental, consular, ecclesiastical, and individual correspondence, and all naval and military correspondence concerning civil matters. Local Government policy emanated only from this office, through letters and orders to the various heads of department, ordinances and publications in the Government Gazette. A centralized filing system with separate registry for both departmental and private matters (petitions) kept record of every query.

The office began to function on the 5th October 1813 with the arrival of the first Governor, when its preceding office of Public Secretary was abolished.

This Chief Secretary to Government was the highest civil authority, second only to the Governor, and worked in close consultation with and under directives of the Governor’s Office. The Chief Secretaries had charge of all Government records including the archives of the Order of St. John. They also supervised the preparation of the Annual Blue Book, censored the Government Press, and controlled the working of all public civil Departments. In the Commercial Department of the Chief Secretary’s office all ships were registered under the various Shipping Acts. This branch also issued:

• Bills of health, personal passports, and certificates of competency to master mariners, mates and padroni.
• Acts of naturalization and letters patent of denization to aliens.
• Warrants to act as advocate, notary, physician, broker, land surveyor, etc.
• Licenses to deal in marine stores, to act as auctioneer, to keep schools, to exercise the art of goldsmith, etc.

The Chief Secretary’s office also kept records of licenses granted by the Governor, for marriages performed in non-Catholic churches. After the 1921 Constitution all work dealing with purely local matters was taken over by the Maltese Government. The Maltese Imperial government dealt only with ‘matter reserved to the Crown’.

The Commerce Department was set up towards the end of 2000, on the recommendation of the Operations Review carried out in the Ministry for Economic Services.

In 1969 Malta ratified the Universal Copyright Convention and in 1977 joined the World Intellectual Property Organisation. In 1994 Malta became a founder member of the World Trade Organisation and was thus bound by the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights as from 2000. That very same year the century old laws governing copyright, patents and trademarks were repealed and replaced by new legislation. In 2002 new legislation concerning design was also introduced.