EC Report

As announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission is proposing new rules to make almost all physical goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and energy efficient throughout their whole lifecycle from the design phase through to daily use, repurposing and end-of-life.

The Commission is also presenting today a new strategy to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable, to tackle fast fashion, textile waste and the destruction of unsold textiles, and ensure their production takes place in full respect of social rights.

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The EU will coordinate the delivery of large-scale in-kind donations of vital items such as medicines, vaccines, medical equipment, tents, beds and emergency blankets.

The deliveries will be carried out in cooperation with the Belgian civil protection authorities and via the rescEU strategic reserve of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

These donations can help address the risk of epidemic and protect the most vulnerable, in particular children. The EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) will support the EU Civil Protection Mechanism by securing childhood vaccines and other essential medical supplies through support from the pharma industry and ministries of health.

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It sets out the key principles that will guide the Commission's assessment of Member States' stability and convergence programmes. It also provides an overview of the state of play on the economic governance review.

The Communication is presented in the context of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. In solidarity with Ukraine, the EU has approved an unprecedented package of economic sanctions that will have a severe impact on the Russian economy and political elite. The 2022 Winter Economic Forecast was published on 10 February, two weeks before the invasion of Ukraine. This development negatively impacts the growth outlook and tilts the risks further to the downside. It also further underscores the need for strong coordination of economic and fiscal policies, and for fiscal policies to be adapted in reaction to rapidly changing circumstances. The guidance will be adjusted to economic developments as needed.

The RRF is providing up to €723.8 billion (in current prices) of grants and loans to Member States to support transformative investments and reforms that will enable the EU to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic.

One year on from its introduction, the report takes stock of the progress made in the implementation of the Facility, from the adoption of the RRF Regulation in February 2021 to the disbursement of the first regular payment in December 2021. The report shows that major headway has been made and confirms that the implementation of the RRF is well underway. The report details numerous examples of the investments and reforms financed by the RRF in the 22 recovery and resilience plans that have been adopted so far. These examples present concrete measures that are contributing to the six policy pillars defined in the RRF Regulation, including the green transition and the digital transformation. The report therefore provides an important insight into the unprecedented scale and impact of the measures that are being implemented across the EU as a result of the RRF.

On 29 December 2021, Greece submitted to the Commission a payment request based on the achievement of the 15 milestones selected in the Council Implementing Decision for the first instalment. They cover reforms and investments in the areas of energy efficiency, electric mobility, waste management, labour market, taxation, business environment, healthcare, public transport, as well as Greece's audit and control system for the implementation of the RRF. With their request, the Greek authorities provided detailed and comprehensive evidence demonstrating the fulfilment of the 15 milestones. The Commission thoroughly assessed this information before presenting its positive preliminary assessment of the payment request.

On 30 December 2021, Italy submitted to the Commission a payment request based on the 51 milestones and targets selected in the Council Implementing Decision for the first instalment. They cover reforms in the areas of public administration, public procurement, justice, the spending review framework, tertiary education, active labour market policies and the framework law to strengthen the autonomy of people with disabilities, as well as Italy's audit and control system for the implementation of the RRF. They also concern major investments in the field of digitalisation of businesses (“Transition 4.0”), energy efficiency and renovation of residential buildings. With their request, the Italian authorities provided detailed and comprehensive evidence demonstrating the satisfactory fulfilment of the 51 milestones and targets. The Commission thoroughly assessed this information before presenting its positive preliminary assessment of the payment request.

As part of a joint initiative undertaken by the European Commission Representation in Malta, Europe Direct Valletta and the Strategy & Implementation Division, Parliamentary Secretariat for EU Funds, students from six different secondary schools have been visiting different projects around Malta that have been partly financed by the European Union.

The secondary schools taking part in this initiative are: St Thomas More College Santa Luċija, St Clare College Pembroke, St Nicholas College Dingli, St Benedict College Kirkop, Marija Reġina College Mosta, and St Margaret College Cospicua.

The EU funded projects that the students have been invited to visit are of varied nature and showcase the diverse areas in which the European Union seeks to invest in and support. The three projects selected are:

• SintegraM project – a €7 million project that uses hi-tech mapping equipment to produce a complete 3D picture of the nation’s geography and infrastructure with the aim of making information for town planning easily accessible to all.
• Regeneration of Wied Fulija by WasteServ to rehabilitate this landfill with an investment of €4.5million where 43,000 trees and shrubs were planted to restore this area to its natural habitat.
• The Conservation Division of Heritage Malta is entrusted with the overall responsibility of providing conservation-restoration services to the several museums and sites found in Malta and Gozo. Such projects are made possible through EU-funds for the preservation and revival of cultural and historical heritage.

During these visits, students are encouraged to take part in a competition leading up to Europe Day on May 9. This is an art competition where students are invited to come up with an artistic expression on the impact of EU funds in Malta.

The best eight submissions will then be displayed at an event that will be held on Europe Day in front of the national parliament building in Valletta. The exhibition will then be displayed on different dates at each of the participating schools.

The European Commission is putting significant emphasis on ‘digital skills’ given that digitalisation is one of the pillars of the Green Deal.

This webinar discussed with two professionals in the field, Anthony Callus (Manager Training for Industry at MCAST) and Ing. Ruben Curmi (Entrepreneur, visiting lecturer at the University of Malta, and Chairperson of the National Accreditation Board). Anthony Callus provided an overview about the courses which are offered at MCAST on the area of digitalization. On the other hand, Ing. Ruben Curmi provided an overview on the area of Building Management Solutions.

This webinar was principally targeted for students at post-secondary level. However, this activity was also opened to businesses as well. You can watch this webinar here.

Participants hailed from the following entities: Servizzi Ewropej f’Malta, Europe Direct Valletta, EU Careers, European Parliament Liaison Office in Malta, European Commission Representation, European Union Agency for Asylum, European Employment Services, Malta Council for Science and Technology, EU Programmes Agency, Strategy & Implementation Division – OPM, Malta SOLVIT Centre, European Consumers Centre, Entitlement Unit – Ministry for Health, URBACT, Euroguidance Malta & Lifelong Learning, Ministry for Education.

This was the first Network of Networks meeting of this year, bringing together EU information providers and national contact points to strengthen collaboration in the provision of several different EU related services to EU citizens in Malta.