The Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU reached an agreement with the European Parliament on the establishment of an assistance programme, known as the Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP), for EU Member States which want assistance in improving their economic and financial governance, the government said in a statement.

The Programme will be available to all EU Member States, and will offer tailored financial assistance towards institutional and administrative reforms and general capacity building in several areas, aimed at enhancing competitiveness, productivity, growth, jobs, cohesion, and investment. It will operate in support of the EU's economic governance processes, including through assistance for the efficient and effective use of EU funds.

Commenting on today’s agreement, Ian Borg, Malta’s Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds and the 2017 Presidency stated: “This is a programme that will support Member States’ Governments in improving their economic and governance structures. It is another step forward to better equip Member States in implementing important reforms which ultimately will be beneficial to European citizens.”

The Programme is expected to come into effect in April 2017, and will remain established until 31 December 2020, with a financial envelope of €142.8 million. This will be followed by an evaluation report which will include an analysis of the long-term impact of the programme.

Negotiations between the Maltese Presidency and the European Parliament began just a few weeks ago, in January 2017. Yesterday’s unusually-swift provisional agreement, which is expected to be formally approved in the coming weeks, demonstrates the full commitment of the Presidency and its partners in the European Parliament to providing Member States with all the support necessary in order to serve their citizens.