In the EU28, just under half (48.9%) of enterprises of 10 employees or more reported innovation activity during the period 2010-2012. The proportion of innovative enterprises in the EU28 dropped in 2010-2012 compared with both 2006-2008 (51.5% innovative enterprises) and the peak recorded in 2008-2010 (52.8%). This pattern was observed in the majority of Member States.

But not in Malta. For, on the contrary, while Malta registered among the lowest in innovation in 2006-2008, its growth since then has been spectacular, rising from 37.4% in 2006-2008 to 41.5% in 2008-2010 and rising further to 51,4% in 2010-2012.

Innovation activities refer to product and process innovation as well as organisational and marketing innovation.

Between 2010 and 2012, innovation in EU enterprises related mainly to organisation (27.5% of all enterprises), followed by marketing innovations (24.3%), product innovations (23.7%) and process innovations (21.4%). It should be noted that enterprises could have introduced innovations in more than one single area.

None of the countries that were around Malta's level in 2006 has risen so much. Some, like Spain and Cyprus, have registered a decrease instead.