Following the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Malta’s recovery and resilience plan has responded to the urgent need to foster a strong recovery, while making Malta’s economy and society more resilient and future ready. In response to the energy market disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Commission launched the REPowerEU Plan. The Recovery and Resilience Facility is at the heart of its implementation and its funding. Under REPowerEU, EU countries are updating their recovery and resilience plans with new measures to save energy and diversify the EU’s energy supplies.
Green transition
Focusing on green technologies and capacities - sustainable mobility, energy efficiency and renewables, climate change adaptation; circular economy; and biodiversity.
Policies for the next generation
Improving access to and the quality of general, vocational, and higher education; focusing on digital education, early childhood education and care; supporting youth employment.
Smart, sustainable, inclusive growth
promoting entrepreneurship, competitiveness, industrialisation; improving the business environment; fostering research, development and innovation, supporting small- and medium-sized businesses.
Digital transformation
Promoting the roll-out of very high-capacity networks, the digitalisation of public services, government processes, and businesses, in particular SMEs; developing basic and advanced digital skills; supporting digital-related R&D and the deployment of advanced technologies.
Social and territorial cohesion
Improving social and territorial infrastructure and services, including social protection and welfare systems, the inclusion of disadvantaged groups; supporting employment and skills development; creating high-quality, stable jobs.
Health and economic, social and institutional resilience
Improving the resilience, accessibility and quality of health and long-term care, including measures to advance their digitalisation; increasing the effectiveness of public administration systems.
The map exclusively serves information purposes and is not an exhaustive database of projects supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility. It does not reflect the distribution of the projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility across the European Union, nor across different geographical areas or sectors within EU Member States. The RRF funding amounts shown for measures are based on the initial cost estimates included in the recovery and resilience plans.
Furthermore, the projects showcased are without prejudice to any future assessment by the Commission in the context of verifying the satisfactory fulfilment of milestones and targets under Regulation (EU) 2021/241 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Country snapshot
The country snapshot illustrates some of the most iconic and impactful projects included in the Maltese Recovery and Resilience Plan that will bring positive change for EU citizens, businesses and the EU at large.
The reforms and investment in Malta’s plan are helping it become more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities offered by the green transition and digital transition. Following Council approval of Malta’s plan on 5 October 2021, Malta’s recovery and resilience plan was updated on 14 July 2023 to introduce measures that address REPowerEU objectives.
*This value includes also the part of the plan which is financed with national resources.
** This value includes the transfer from the Brexit adjustment reserve requested by Malta and Malta’s REPowerEU grant.
- 16 investment streams and 31 reforms
- 68.8% of the plan will support climate objectives
- 26.2% of the plan will foster the digital transition.
The transformative impact of Malta’s plan is the result of a strong combination of reforms and investment which address the country’s specific challenges. The reforms address bottlenecks to lasting and sustainable growth by strengthening the rule of law and the fight against corruption, while investment is targeted at the green and digital transitions, as well as tackling challenges related to health and skills.
All measures have to be implemented within a tight time frame, as the Regulation establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility requires all milestones and targets within the national plans to be completed by August 2026.
REPowerEU measures in Malta’s plan
Malta’s plan now includes one reform and one investment to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, in line with one of the REPowerEU Plan's objectives.
To finance this increased ambition, Malta has asked for a share of its Brexit Adjustment Reserve to be transferred to the plan, amounting to €40 million. These funds would be added to Malta's REPowerEU grant of €30 million.
Key measures for REPowerEU
The REPowerEU measures include a reform of the permitting system for renewable energy projects and a EUR 70 million investment in the electricity grid.
The reform will help accelerate procedures for granting permits for renewable energy projects and introduce an obligation to install rooftop solar panels on certain new buildings.
The investment will strengthen and expand the electricity grid and distribution services, while also building centralised battery storage capacity.
Together, these measures are expected to increase Malta’s share of renewable energy and accelerate decarbonisation of energy generation, building and transport sectors.
Malta has significant unused renewable energy potential (solar and wind). The objective of this reform is to help boost the share of renewable energy by removing administrative burdens and improving the legal framework for deploying renewables.
The reform will include the review of the permitting framework and legislative changes requiring the installation of solar panels on new residential and non-residential buildings that reach their maximum height (except for buildings in urban conservation areas and scheduled buildings). Moreover, the reform will shorten the timelines for application and permit-granting procedures for renewable energy projects.
Green transition
In the area of climate and environmental policies, Malta’s challenges include the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonise transport and reduce congestion, make the building stock more energy-efficient and improve waste and water management.
Key measures for the green transition
- The plan supports the green transition through the large-scale electrification of road transport.
- An investment of €60 million will promote the purchase of zero-emission electric vehicles for the public and private sector.
- The purchase of 102 electric buses for public transport for €34 million and a reform granting free public transport to more than 100,000 Maltese citizens will boost the use of public transport and help address congestion.
- A large-scale energy-efficiency programme for public schools, hospitals and offices, as well as private buildings worth €52.2 million will lead to a sizable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Malta’s recovery and resilience plan includes important measures to improve waste management, including with regard to construction and demolition waste.
The modified plan, including the REPowerEU chapter, has further strengthened the focus of the plan on the green transition, devoting 68.8% of the available funds to measures that support climate objectives (up from 53.8% in the original plan).
The objective of this investment is to provide incentives for a shift to electric mobility, reducing emissions, and alleviating traffic congestion on the Maltese Islands.
- Project locations
- Malta
Digital transition
Digital challenges for Malta include differences in digitalisation between large and small enterprises, as well as digital skills shortages and mismatches.
Key measures for the digital transition
Malta’s recovery and resilience plan supports the digital transition with investments and reforms in the public and private sectors.
- Investments into digitalisation of the public administration and public services (€34 million) to strengthen the government’s IT systems and enhance digital public services.
- Investments in the digitalisation of at least 360 companies, in particular SMEs (€15 million).
- Reforms include the adoption of Malta’s Digital Strategy 2021-2027, which aims to reduce the digital divide, notably by supporting families with low income to get connected and have access to computers, and to promote digital skills.
The modified plan has further strengthened the focus of the plan on the digital transition, devoting 26.2% of the available funds to measures that support digital objectives (up from 25.5% in the original plan).
Digitalisation is key to modernising Malta’s justice system and improving its efficiency.
- Project locations
- Malta
Economic and social resilience
Key challenges with an impact on Malta’s medium-term economic performance include a shortage of skilled labour, challenges related to an ageing population, and weaknesses in the regulatory and supervisory framework, which prevent businesses from taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by the green and digital transitions.
Key measures in reinforcing economic and social resilience
The plan contains a set of reforms and investments that reinforce economic and social resilience.
- It includes crucial reforms to strengthen the judiciary’s independence, to address some features of the tax system that facilitate aggressive tax planning and to strengthen the institutional framework in order to fight against corruption and money laundering.
- Reforms aim to strengthen early school leaving intervention and prevention measures, expand guidance and opportunities for upskilling and reskilling for all adults, and in particular for the low-skilled, and enhance quality inclusive education for pupils with special needs.
- An investment in the Blood, Tissue and Cell Centre is expected to strengthen the resilience of the national health system by providing services for which patients previously had to travel abroad.
The objective of this measure is to support high quality, inclusive education allowing for the further integration of pupils with special needs into the mainstream school environment.
- Project locations
- Malta
ANNUAL EVENTS
Annual events facilitate the exchange of views on the state of implementation of the Recovery and resilience plans, while ensuring close cooperation between all stakeholders and providing a platform to discuss interlinks between the Plans and other Union programmes.
More information on Annual events held in Malta can be found here
EUROPEAN SEMESTER
Malta’s plan is consistent with the challenges and priorities identified in the European Semester, the annual cycle of coordination and monitoring of each EU country’s economic policies. For a detailed explanation of the European Semester see the following link: The European Semester explained | European Commission (europa.eu)
National recovery and resilience website
Original Recovery and Resilience Plan (October 2021)
Malta’s Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021
Updated Recovery and Resilience Plan (July 2023)
Original Recovery and Resilience Plan (October 2021)
Documents
Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan of Malta and Annex
Commission Staff Working Document: Analysis of the recovery and resilience plan of Malta
Press Material
Press release: "European Commission endorses Malta's plan"
Factsheet: Malta’s recovery and resilience plan
Questions and answers: European Commission endorses Malta's plan
Further Information
Presentation to the Council of Malta’s recovery and resilience plan
Summary of the Commission’s assessment of the Maltese recovery and resilience plan
Updated Recovery and Resilience Plan (July 2023)
Documents
Press Material
Daily news: Malta submits request to modify recovery and resilience plan and add a REPowerEU chapter
Pre-financing
Press-release: European Commission disburses €41.1 million in pre-financing to Malta
First Payment Request
Documents
Preliminary assessment of the first payment request of Malta
Commission implementing Decision on the authorisation of the first disbursement to Malta
Press Material
Questions and Answers on Malta's disbursement request under NextGenerationEU
Daily News: Commission disburses first payment to Malta
Second Payment Request
Documents
Positive preliminary assessment of the second payment request of the Republic of Malta
Press Material
Daily News: Commission receives payment request of Malta under the Recovery and Resilience Facility