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Commission partially greenlights Malta's fourth payment request for €51,5 million under NextGenerationEU
Today, the European Commission partially greenlighted Malta's fourth payment request for €51,5 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.
This is an important step in the delivery of reforms and investments tied to this payment request, in the areas of rule of law and anti-corruption, the green and digital transitions, as well as healthcare and education.
The Commission found that Malta has satisfactorily completed 25 out of 26 milestones and targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision.
Flagship measures in this payment request include:
- Literacy support programme: introducing targeted reading programs helping over 1,000 young students catch up and reach age-appropriate reading proficiency. This personalised program boosts children's independence and self-esteem, while reducing educational inequalities from an early age.
- Modernised digital pathology identification: deployment of advanced workstations and IT infrastructure, to speed up diagnostics, improve clinical decision-making, and optimise hospital resource allocation. This innovation marks a significant leap forward in both healthcare quality and operational efficiency.
- Transfer of prosecution authority to the attorney general's office: This landmark reform shifts prosecution responsibilities for over 30 offence categories from the police to the Attorney General's Office. The restructuring strengthens judicial independence, improves case handling, and reinforces the rule of law by establishing a dedicated, specialist prosecution service.
The Commission found that one milestone related to an aggressive tax planning reform remains unfulfilled, specifically regarding the entry into force of legal acts to mitigate risks related to inbound and outbound payments.
This procedure is in line with the RRF Regulation and the Commission's implementation guidelines published on 21 February 2023.
Next steps
The Commission has now sent its preliminary assessment of Malta's fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to the Council's Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which has four weeks to deliver its opinion.
In parallel, the Commission has communicated to Malta the reasons why it considers the above-mentioned milestone not to be satisfactorily fulfilled. Malta now has one month to submit its observations to the Commission.
Should the Commission, following Malta's observations, confirm its assessment that the milestone in question has not been satisfactorily fulfilled, it will suspend the amount corresponding to this milestone, out of the total amount of €51,5 million under this payment request.
The amount corresponding to the outstanding milestone will be determined by applying the Commission's methodology for payment suspensions (outlined in Annex II of the Communication published on 21 February 2023), which applies to all Member States, and which puts significant weight on key reform milestones. From that moment, Malta will have a period of six months to take action and fulfil the outstanding commitment. At the end of this period, the Commission will assess whether this milestone has been satisfactorily fulfilled. If so, it will lift the suspension and proceed with the payment of the suspended amount.
The payment to Malta for the already greenlighted milestones and targets can take place following the EFC's positive opinion and the adoption of a payment decision by the Commission at a later stage.
Background
Malta submitted its fourth payment request on 19 December 2025. The Maltese recovery and resilience plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures supporting climate and digital transition objectives.
With a view to the closure of the Recovery and Resilience Facility at the end of 2026, Members States must implement all outstanding milestones and targets by August 2026 and submit last payment requests by the end of September 2026.
For more information
Commission's preliminary assessment of Malta's fourth payment request
Malta's recovery and resilience plan
Recovery and Resilience Facility
Recovery and Resilience Facility project map
Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard
Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation