The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) has launched its Pre-Budget Document 2027, ‘Spaces. Systems. Structures. A Call to Take Responsibility for How Culture Is Made’, setting out a comprehensive package of proposals aimed at strengthening the long-term sustainability, resilience and competitiveness of Malta’s cultural and creative sectors.
The document argues that the next phase of cultural policy should focus on the wider conditions that allow cultural and creative practice to develop, professionalise and endure.
“Rather than treating Budget 2027 as a series of isolated measures, MEIA calls for a coordinated approach linking physical infrastructure, organisational stability, fair work, diversified financing, production capacity, internationalisation, skills and evidence-led delivery,” the association said in a statement announcing the publication of the document.
The document outlines six priority asks for the upcoming Budget.
The first is for affordable spaces to serve as creative hubs in Malta and Gozo together with the launch of a 10-year National Cultural Infrastructure Strategy, while the second is for the creation of a single national framework for events and festivals while strengthening year-round and grassroots cultural provision in the form of a National Events and Night-time Economy Strategy.
The MEIA also called for a pilot project to offer a basic income to artists in 2027, describing this proposal as a “time-limited pilot providing regular income to professional artists and cultural practitioners, with published eligibility and independent evaluation.”
The association also called for a 25% rebate on eligible local production expenditure, subject to pre-approval and a published annual commitment ceiling, and a National Cultural Match Fund which would see eligible private donations, philanthropy and sponsorship matched euro for euro, with an initial annual fund of €1 million proposed by the MEIA.
Finally, the association proposed the embedding of standards on contracts, remuneration, preparation time, payment schedules, cancellation, safe working conditions, credits and intellectual-property rights, backed by realistic funding levels.
“Beyond the six priority asks, the document sets out recommendations across nine areas of development, including organisational stability, production and enterprise support, international market access, workforce and digital skills, evidence gathering and the night-time economy. Wider proposals include increasing the Arts Support Scheme to at least €1.5 million annually, developing paid international placements for Maltese creatives, targeted workforce and future-skills programmes, and a more coordinated approach to cultural data and cross-government delivery,” the MEIA said.
MEIA also placed emphasis on the relationship between Malta’s public cultural institutions and the independent sector, arguing that the two should reinforce one another: institutional continuity alongside the autonomy, experimentation, entrepreneurship and diversity generated through independent practice.
Maria Galea, President of MEIA, said: “Over recent years, important foundations have begun to be put in place, but the next stage must be about connecting them and creating the conditions for the sector to grow sustainably. A building alone does not create a sustainable organisation, a successful production does not create a sustainable career, and an individual funding scheme cannot address structural challenges on its own.”
“Budget 2027 is an opportunity to invest not only in what culture produces today, but in the spaces, systems and structures that allow artists, creative professionals and organisations to build viable futures. Our ambition is for the sector to move beyond continually making the case for its value, towards having the long-term infrastructure, fair working conditions and capacity it needs to develop, compete and contribute fully to Malta’s future,” she said.
The Pre-Budget Document concluded that the success of Budget 2027 should ultimately be visible in tangible improvements: fairer contracts, timely payments, affordable spaces, stronger organisations, better-informed decisions and broader participation.
“Budget 2027 should leave more than a record of cultural expenditure. It should leave stronger foundations: spaces that remain accessible, systems that work fairly, and structures that enable the sector to shape its future.”