Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Commission has adopted support measures under the state aid Temporary Framework and EU state aid rules. These measures aim to help citizens and companies and mitigate the significant economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic:
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On 26 November 2021, the Commission approved a €10 million support package for tourism and other related sectors directly affected by the coronavirus outbreak and the restrictive measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus. This public support is open to small and medium-sized enterprises and microenterprises active in the accommodation, travel, tourist events and cultural heritage sites sectors. The package consists of three schemes aimed at supporting the organisation of meetings, conferences and exhibitions, cultural heritage sites and licensed tour operators offering travel package holidays to Malta.
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On 27 May 2021, the Commission approved a €215 million wage subsidy scheme to support companies operating in sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the state aid Temporary Framework, the support aims to finance the wage costs of employers and help them avoid layoffs. The scheme is accessible to companies of all sizes and self-employed individuals operating in sectors strongly affected by the current health crisis and the containment measures adopted by the national authorities.
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On 14 October 2020, under the State aid Temporary Framework, the Commission approved a €2.5 million Maltese scheme to support animal farmers affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme allows for public support in the form of a direct grant, and aims to help animal farmers address the liquidity shortages they are facing due to the coronavirus outbreak, as a result of the halting of activities mainly in the catering and hospitality sectors.
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on 8 September 2020, a €1.5 million Maltese scheme to support land farmers affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the scheme, public support will be provided in the form of direct grants. The purpose of the scheme is to help land farmers addressing the liquidity shortages they are facing due to the coronavirus outbreak as a result, among others, of the halting of the catering and hospitality sectors.
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a €67.5 million Maltese scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs. The public support will take the form of State guarantees on loans for a nominal value of up to €250,000 per company. The purpose of the scheme is to provide access to working capital to those SMEs that are facing sudden liquidity shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak.
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on 20 July 2020, a €720,000 Maltese scheme to support self-employed Bluefin tuna fishermen that are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The public support will take the form of direct grants. The aid will be calculated based on the quota assigned by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to Bluefin tuna fishermen in 2020. The purpose of the scheme is to compensate the drop in the price of Bluefin tuna on the market and therefore help those fishermen to continue their activities after the outbreak.
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on 16 July 2020, a €108 million Maltese scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The public support will take the form of direct grants and will be open to companies of all sizes active in all sectors, except the financial sector. Under the scheme, companies will be granted up to €7,500 per company to cover rental costs, and up to €7,500 per company to cover electricity bills. The measure is expected to benefit 20,000 companies. The aim of the scheme is to address the liquidity needs of companies affected by the current crisis and to help them to continue their activities, start investments and maintain employment during and after the outbreak.
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on 6 July 2020, a bond subscription facility of € 18.7 million by the Malta Development Bank (MDB) to support a bond issue by real estate developer Mediterranean Investment Holdings p.l.c. (MIH). In July 2020, MIH will issue a €20 million bond on the Maltese Stock Exchange Market to cover its financial needs. The Maltese financial markets have been experiencing a sharp decrease in investor confidence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. There is therefore a risk that the bond will be undersubscribed. This could risk resulting in a broader contagion, especially since MIH belongs to the Corinthia Group, the largest issuer of fixed-income securities on the Maltese Stock Exchange. Through the bond subscription facility, the MDB would cover the part of MIH's bond, if any, that remains unsubscribed by the market – up to a maximum of €18.7 million, with an annual interest rate of 5.5%.
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on 14 May 2020, a €40 million Maltese interest rate subsidy scheme to support companies facing acute liquidity shortages due to the current coronavirus outbreak. The purpose of the scheme is to address the liquidity needs of companies of all sizes in Malta. The support will take the form of an interest rate subsidy by covering the interest costs on the initial two years of a loan, which will result in lower interest rates for the borrower. Consequently, the measure will mitigate the pressure on the liquidity and financial sustainability of Maltese companies. This measure follows the €350 million guarantee scheme, which was approved on 2 April 2020.
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on 12 May 2020, a Maltese aid scheme of €11.5 million to support investments in the production of products that are relevant to the coronavirus outbreak, including vaccines, ventilators and personal protective equipment. Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of direct grants, repayable advances and tax advantages. The scheme is open to all enterprises of all sectors capable of increasing production of coronavirus-relevant products or of diversifying existing production to be able to produce and manufacture such products. The aim of the scheme is to enhance and accelerate the production of products directly relevant to the coronavirus outbreak.
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on 24 April 2020, a Maltese wage subsidies scheme to support companies operating in the sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The Maltese support measure will finance the wage costs of employers that, due to the coronavirus outbreak, would otherwise have laid off employees. The scheme will be accessible to companies of all sizes and also self-employed individuals operating in sectors that are strongly affected by the current health crisis and the containment measures adopted by national authorities. The aim of the scheme is to preserve employment and avoid lay-offs of employees at a time when many business activities are either suspended or significantly reduced.
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on 2 April, a €5.3 million Maltese direct grants scheme to support investment in research and development (R&D) related to the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020. The Maltese scheme supports R&D activities related to the coronavirus outbreak. The public support will take the form of direct grants.
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on 2 April 2020, a Maltese State aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The support takes the form of a guarantee scheme for working capital loans granted by commercial banks to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak.