NextGenerationEU: Commission disburses first payment of €52.3 million to Malta under the Recovery and Resilience Facility

Today’s payment of €52.3 million in grants was made possible by Malta’s fulfilment of the 16 milestones and 3 targets in the first instalment. The payment request covers important measures such as the adoption of a strategy to reduce waste through recycling in the construction sector, the establishment of office facilities to enable civil servants to work remotely across the country, reforms to boost industrial research and investments, a national anti-fraud and corruption strategy and reforms to digitalise the justice system.

As for all Member States, payments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the key instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU, are performance-based, and depend on Malta implementing the investments and reforms outlined in its national recovery and resilience plan.

On 19 December 2022, Malta submitted to the Commission a first payment request of €52.3 million under the RRF covering 16 milestones and three targets. On 27 January 2023, the Commission endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Malta’s payment request. The favourable opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee of the Council on Malta’s payment request paved the way for the Commission to adopt a final decision on the disbursement of the funds.

Malta’s overall recovery and resilience plan will be supported by €258.3 million in grants. The amounts disbursed to Member States are published in the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard, which shows progress made in the implementation of the RRF as a whole and of the individual recovery and resilience plans. Malta has already received a pre-financing of €41.1 million in December 2021.

More information on the RRF payment claim process can be found in this Q&A. More information on Malta’s recovery and resilience plan is available here.