How does one recover from a once-in-a-century event like a global pandemic? On an individual level, it is already no easy feat; on a national, administrative level, the stakes are higher than ever.

Over the past year and a half, government has had to find the delicate balance between public health and maintaining livelihoods. Through strategic planning, and decisive policy-making, as well as immense strength and cooperation from the entire Maltese community, we have managed to leave the worst of this pandemic behind us.

Thankfully, we were also backed by a strong European Union that understood that each and every member state’s needs during this pandemic were unique. These past months have revealed a strong sense of unity and solidarity, which has led to a quick response to the onslaught of challenges we are still facing particularly in the procurement of the vaccine as well as the NextGeneration EU Fund.

Now is the time to look and plan ahead. Our aim should not be to go back to normal; instead, we should create a new normal, that is fairer, safer, greener, and more prosperous.

Enter government’s efforts to draft and present Malta’s Recovery and Resilience Plan to the European Commission, which was approved last week during a meeting of the EU Council’s Ministers for Economic and Financial Affairs, ECOFIN. I had the honour of attending and witnessing first-hand the unanimous approval for our ambitious plan, which tackles important sectors for the strengthening of society as a whole.

Coming in at a hefty €345 million, €316 million of which will be financed from the NextGeneration EU grants, the Recovery and Resilience Plan stretches until 2026, and commits us to the implementation of measures which will see our country flourish once more.

I often speak and write on the importance of our fight against climate change. If this ending, scorching summer is anything to go by, the time for solid action is now. Over half of this plan’s funds will go towards reforms and investments supporting our climate change objectives, including renovating our buildings to increase their energy efficiency, as well as investing heavily in sustainable means of public transportation.

A green society and a fair society go hand in hand: through this plan, we will also be investing heavily in our national health system, which has proven its resilience time and time again, and deserves our full attention. We will focus on addressing issues in education, by strengthening early school-leaving prevention measures, and strengthening inclusive education for students with special needs, among others. I strongly believe a healthy, educated society lies at the heart of true prosperity and well-being: this plan is a reflection of this belief.

Crucial to a modern society is, of course, its digital transition. While we have seen progress over the past years, we are nowhere near being done. Charity, in this case, starts at home, through our measures to digitise all of government’s systems, including our justice system, leading to a heightened efficiency and sterling customer service, as well as speedier court processes. The plan also goes on to introduce measures to assist our SMEs in the digitalisation of their operations, which should not only cut costs, but also increase their productivity and sales.

Malta’s Recovery and Resilience Plan is no wish-list: the ECOFIN’s approval this week has effectively turned our proposals into binding measures, to be implemented within a set time-frame. We have been lauded on a European level for this Plan – now, let us roll up our sleeves and create a stronger, fairer, new normal. 

Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi – Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds at the Office of the Prime Minister