The European Commission has given a positive preliminary assessment of Malta’s third payment request for €48.7 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which is part of NextGenerationEU. This decision follows Malta’s submission on December 12, 2024, and the Commission’s conclusion that Malta has satisfactorily completed the 24 milestones and targets outlined in the Council Implementing Decision for this instalment.
The requested funds will support 15 reforms and nine investments aimed at benefiting Maltese citizens and businesses. Among these reforms are initiatives to increase access to free public transport, enhance digital skills, and strengthen anti-money laundering measures. Investments include acquiring medical equipment for healthcare, digitalising the justice system, and procuring electric vehicles for both private and public sectors.
Key measures in this payment request involve a reform to implement a neonatal hearing screening program to identify newborns at risk of hearing loss early on. Additionally, there is an investment plan to construct a near carbon-neutral school as a pilot project to demonstrate best practices in air quality optimization, energy consumption reduction, and renewable energy use.
The Commission has forwarded its preliminary assessment regarding Malta’s fulfilment of required milestones and targets to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which now has four weeks to provide its opinion. The payment can proceed following the EFC’s approval and the Commission’s adoption of a payment decision.
Malta’s recovery plan encompasses various investment and reform measures financed by €328.2 million in grants. More information about Malta’s Recovery and Resilience Plan is available through interactive maps of projects funded by the RRF, along with resources like the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard.
