100% success in European funds use, PM says

Malta has successfully made use of 100% of the European funds allocated to it for the period 2013-2020, Prime Minister Robert Abela said as he was speaking during the inauguration of the Grand Master’s Palace on Friday after an extensive restoration programme. The Office of the Prime Minister said that the funds throughout this period amounted to €1.1bn.

The Prime Minister said that these funds were invested in capital projects, social projects and other various programmes. He said that among these investments was an investment of €925.5m throughout 128 projects with the goal of making the economy “more competitive and innovative”.

He said that among these aforementioned projects were the infrastructural investments made in education, health, culture, innovation, renewable energy and competitiveness. He continued that these investments were in addition to investments made in the country’s maritime and road infrastructure as well as other funds which were allocated with the intent to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. The OPM said that this measure was successful and that investments in these areas reached €673m.

In addition to this, the OPM said that the government has also invested around €280m in social priorities and skills to help people build on their abilities and find better work while also improving the work of our institutions. In this area, the OPM said that 54 projects were carried out along with three major schemes as well as a financial instrument in the education sector.

Abela said that this bodes well for Malta and that while the government was negotiating the biggest package of European funds the country has ever received, the work to invest the funds that it had at its disposal did not stop. He said that these funds have now all been used for the benefit of Maltese and Gozitan citizens.

The OPM said it is estimated that just under 150,000 people throughout Malta and Gozo benefited from opportunities or projects carried out with the use of these funds. It added that this does not include projects and work which have been ongoing in recent years with the funds of recovery and resilience.