The national Recovery and Resilience Plan, presented by government, will make the country greener and more efficient in the coming years.

Guided by the aim of carbon neutrality, by tapping into millions in the grant component of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, we will carry out the deep-rooted reforms in the transport sector and the basic physical infrastructure.

Our plan will inject around €345m and is the result of fruitful negotiations with the European Commission following consultation with the local social partners and other stakeholders.

Our commitment to emerge stronger from the setback of the pandemic and the ensuing closures and slowdown, is highlighted in the way our plan addresses successive Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) in specific areas, most notably the green and digital transitions, as we willingly exceed the minimum thresholds of investment set by the European Commission in these two important areas.

The largest share of investment in the plan is aimed towards the great stride in transport, incidentally the greatest national culprit in carbon emissions. The milestone will mean a cut from the past, and by investing wholeheartedly in the promotion of the uptake of collective and multimodal transport, we shall fight the deep-seated inclination towards traditional forms of transport and short-sighted pursuit of comfort.

Our ambition is to start a process that will see the decarbonisation of the public transport fleet roaming our islands as well as the general fleet of vehicles used in the public service. Not only will ongoing efforts to electrify road transport not subside, but the plan is to get private citizens and business to resort to new electric vehicles. In this regard, particular focus will be given to Gozo, in line with our vision for it to be a leader in decarbonisation. New ferry landing, this time round to the north end of the island, will promote alternative modes of transport by tangibly providing options and solutions.

Alongside better and cleaner transport, a more ecologically sustainable future is tied to our development of a long-term renovation strategy. Within this objective lies widespread renovation and greening of public and private buildings. This will include deep retrofitting of energy efficient measures in public hospitals and public schools as well as investments in renewable energy in roads and other public spaces around our islands. This complements the financial instrument to the private sector supported from EU funds that was launched earlier this year and which is being offered by two local banks.

Our digital transformation is intrinsically linked to the aim of carbon neutrality as much as it is connected to the resilience of the country in that it touches with the quality and efficiency of public services and the competitiveness of our private sector. It is a government and a national priority, and it is no coincidence that 26% of the investment is geared towards this goal.

The digitalisation of public administration means that government will direct considerable investment aimed towards excellence and maximum efficiency across the plethora of services provided by the State. It will mean newer and better solutions to improve front-end customer experience and will see improved services to our citizens and businesses. It means a national single window for customs and new tools to enable more widespread possibilities for remote-working. It will also mean more data sharing and the reuse of data, thus making services more efficient by enhanced processes. It will also see more investment in the digitalisation of our health system in order to make it more resilient and in the justice system with a view to leverage technology towards strengthening our institutions and support their operations.

The benefits of digital transformation may only be felt if the progress is reflected in the private realm, particularly also in Gozo. Our global stature in an increasingly competitive and more dynamic international market calls on us to induce support to intensify and accelerate the digital transformation of the local private sector.

The recovery and resilience plan negotiated with the Commission projects Malta as a forward-looking player signalling its ability to turn the setbacks, shared with the rest of the Union in the past months in the wake of the pandemic, into a launching pad to grow better and more sustainable.

 

Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi is parliamentary secretary for EU Funds at the Office of the Prime Minister