Malta receives the first prefinancing from NextGenerationEU

European Commission disburses €41.1 million from a total of €316.4 million

The European Commission has disbursed €41.1 million to Malta in pre-financing, from a total of €316.4 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The pre-financing payment will help to kick-start the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Malta's Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).

Part of the EU’s recovery and resilience package - NextGenerationEU, the RRF will provide €723.8 billion (in current prices) to support investments and reforms across Member States. The Maltese plan is part of the unprecedented EU response to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, fostering the green and digital transitions and strengthening resilience and cohesion in our societies.

The financial allocation to Malta fully consists of grants, disbursed according to the implementation of the RRP.

Malta’s Plan
The RRF in Malta finances investments and reforms that are expected to have a deeply transformative effect on Malta's economy and society, through projects like:

Securing the green transition:

Malta allocated 54% of the RRP to support climate objectives;
€60 million will be invested in energy-efficiency renovations and greening of private and public buildings, including hospitals and schools;
€16 million are foreseen for a new ferry-landing place at St Paul's Bay/Buġibba, with a view to shifting transport from road to sea and reducing emissions from the transport sector.

Supporting the digital transition:

€34 million in the government's IT systems to strengthen their resilience, capacity and security and enhance digital public services for a better customer experience;
€15 million will be made available for the digitalisation of companies, notably SMEs, in various sectors, including wholesale and retail, tourism and manufacturing;
€10 million to implement secure digital solutions and tools to support users in the justice sector, increasing accessibility of justice and strengthening the system's efficiency.

Reinforcing economic and social resilience:

Health - €49.9 million to promote the integration and well-being of foreign health workers, establishing a Blood, Tissue and Cell Centre for Malta, and introducing digital technologies to facilitate interaction with patients and health professionals and improve treatment;
Education - €41.4 million will strengthen, amongst others, early school leaving prevention and intervention measures, reinforce quality and inclusive education, expand guidance and opportunities for upskilling and reskilling for all adults and in particular for the low-skilled, and further develop the regular analysis and monitoring of the pension and unemployment benefits system to support its adequacy and sustainability;
Justice - Malta's plan also strengthens the independence and efficiency of the courts and of the investigative and prosecutorial arms of the justice system, while also adopting measures that partially curb aggressive tax planning.