Government has closed negotiations with the European Commission on all operational programs for the years 2021-2027, one month before the time agreed upon with the EU Commission.
A government statement read that this was the first time that the Maltese Government closed the negotiations in a rapid way and received the approval from the European Commission on all the programs within 18 months since negotiations started.
It said that this was done in parallel with negotiations on the amounts and programming, as well as when the Recovery and Resilience Plan began to be implemented, and funds were absorbed from the REACT-EU program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, government can start utilizing the €2.2 billion in European funds allocated to Malta.
The statement read that these funds will serve as an opportunity for government to continue to invest in new projects and initiatives which will continue to help in the economic development of the country.
One of the last programs that was approved by the European Commission was the Instrument for the Management of Borders and Visas, for which €47.8 million were allocated, to help strengthen border surveillance and safeguard the free movement of persons in the European Union.
Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said that the country has managed to obtain the largest program of funds, which was approved before the stipulated time.
Schembri said that now government will be working for the implementation of each program while encouraging the private sector to also apply and make use of European funds, to continue to “improve our product and incentivize the economy.”
Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett also expressed satisfaction at closing negotiations in record time, now looking forward to a process of implementation which will continue to achieve socio-economic goals.
Bonett said that the Commission has always had words of praise for the work Malta is carrying out with regards to European funds, looking forward to January, when the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira will be in Malta to launch these programmes.
“With the Maltese Government, they know where they are, and they are certain that the funds will be invested in the best interest of the country and Maltese people,” Bonett said.