Today, the Commission has approved a positive preliminary assessment of Maltas third payment request for €48.7 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centerpiece of NextGenerationEU.
Following its assessment of the payment request submitted by Malta on December 12, 2024, the Commission has preliminarily concluded that Malta has satisfactorily completed the 24 milestones and targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the third instalment.
The payment request supports 15 reforms and 9 investments designed to benefit citizens and businesses in Malta. The reforms include increasing access to free public transport, promoting digital skills, and strengthening Maltas anti-money laundering framework. The investments include medical equipment for the health system, equipment for the digitalization of the justice system, and contracts for the provision of electric vehicles for both the private and public sectors.
Flagship measures in this payment request include:
- A reform to provide a neonatal hearing screening program to identify newborns at risk of hearing loss early in life, allowing for timely interventions.
- An investment to build a new near carbon-neutral school. This is intended to serve as a pilot project for future investments and to demonstrate best practices in optimizing air quality, reducing energy consumption, and increasing the use of renewable energy.
Next steps
The Commission has now sent its preliminary assessment of Maltas fulfillment of the required milestones and targets for this payment to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which has four weeks to provide its opinion. Payment to Malta can occur following the EFCs opinion and the adoption of a payment decision by the Commission.
Background
The Maltese recovery and resilience plan encompasses a wide range of investment and reform measures. The plan will be financed by €328.2 million in grants.
More information can be found on Maltas Recovery and Resilience plan, which features an interactive map of projects financed by the RRF, as well as on the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. Additional details about the payment request process under the RRF can be found in this document of questions and answers.
For more information
Commissions preliminary assessment of Maltas third payment request
Maltas Recovery and Resilience plan
Recovery and Resilience Facility
Recovery and Resilience Facility project map
Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard
Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation