This is an important step towards the EU disbursing €316.4 million in grants to Malta and €14.2 billion in grants and €14.9 billion in loans to Romania under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This financing will support the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in the two Member State’s recovery and resilience plans, enabling them to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. The RRF is at the heart of NextGenerationEU which will provide €800 billion (in current prices) to support investments and reforms across the EU. The Maltese and Romanian plans form part of an unprecedented, coordinated EU response to the COVID-19 crisis. They aim to address common European challenges by embracing the green and digital transitions and strengthening economic and social resilience, as well as the cohesion of the Single Market. The Commission assessed the plans based on the criteria set out in the RRF Regulation, focusing on whether the investments and reforms contained in the plans support the green and digital transitions; contribute to effectively addressing challenges identified in the European Semester; and strengthen growth potential, job creation and economic and social resilience.