EC Report

When the new Directive enters into force, for the first time there will be a binding European legal instrument against strategic lawsuits against public participation, following  calls for such action from civil society after the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The new rules will include:

• the early dismissal of manifestly unfounded claims; remedies against abusive court proceedings including the full award of costs and penalties or other appropriate measures;
• protection against third country judgments which will not be recognised or enforced in the EU.

This Directive forms a package together with the Commission's horizontal Recommendation on anti-Slapp, which was adopted in 2022 and is already being implemented.

The initiative calls for collective action, reinforcing efforts across policies such as security, digital, education, culture, and sport. Priorities include protecting people and public spaces, accelerating funding under the Internal Security Fund, and strengthening the PROTECT program. The Communication also emphasizes addressing online hate speech through a reinforced Code of Conduct and international cooperation. Coordinators will be elevated to Envoys, focusing on EU-funded projects to combat hatred. The EU plans a high-level anti-hatred conference in early 2024 and European dialogues for reconciliation. This initiative aligns with the EU's commitment to fundamental values, legal frameworks combating racism, and initiatives like the Digital Services Act. The urgency to include hate speech and crime in the list of 'EU crimes' is highlighted, and progress is noted in advancing victims' rights.

The package aims to improve the well-being of the 1.6 billion animals transported annually and establish uniform EU standards for breeding, housing, and handling of dogs and cats. The proposal responds to the European Citizens' Initiative 'Fur Free Europe,' addressing concerns and tightening rules for the transport and welfare of animals. The legislative proposals will undergo review by the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission will also assess the Citizens' Initiative and provide a scientific opinion by March 2025.

During 2023, the Maltese economy continued to grow but at a reduced rate. The economic environment was characterised by high inflation and increasing prices. This has tended to generate a negative sentiment which is likely to have had an impact on the results of the survey. A negative sentiment may have also been generated by a number of challenges related to aspects such as the environment, building development and public procurement. 

The report covers a number of topics, namely perceptions on the respondents’ own personal situation, the economic situation of the country and of the European Union; the policies of the European Union; immigration; trust in the institutions; and the media and sources of news. It also includes the opinions of Maltese respondents on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the EU and Malta’s response to it.

Full report here.

The selected projects, funded through the EU Emissions Trading System, cover manufacturing components for renewable energy, materials such as glass and ceramics, and initiatives in energy storage, solar energy, renewables, iron and steel, refineries, chemicals, cement and lime, and hydrogen. Grants range from €1.6 to €4.5 million, with one-third of the beneficiaries being small and medium-sized companies. The Innovation Fund, aimed at incentivizing low-carbon and net-zero technologies, has already awarded about €6.5 billion to over 100 projects. The successful projects will finalize grant agreements in Q2 2024. The Commission also launched new calls for projects, including a pilot auction under the European Hydrogen Bank and a call with a €4 billion budget for net-zero technologies.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized the importance of reducing methane emissions to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree commitment. She introduced the first-ever EU law to curb methane emissions in the energy sector, setting world-leading standards for measuring, detecting, and preventing emissions globally. The EU and its Member States announced €175 million to support the Methane Finance Sprint, aimed at catalyzing efforts from government, industry, and philanthropy to reduce methane emissions in the energy sector.

President von der Leyen also unveiled plans to develop a roadmap for the global expansion of the "You Collect, We Buy" scheme by COP29. This scheme incentivizes companies to capture and commercialize gas that would otherwise be wasted through venting and flaring, contributing to climate action and energy security. The EU and Algeria will collaborate on piloting this scheme.

The Global Methane Pledge, co-chaired by the EU and the US, has garnered support from more than 150 signatories, committing to substantial methane reduction across energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. The EU, through technical, political, and financial support, actively contributes to global methane emission reduction efforts, including the "You Collect, We Buy" scheme. The UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory recently released the first public methane emissions data through its Methane Alert and Response System, reinforcing effective tracking in line with the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway launched in 2022.

Malta, among other EU countries, contributes to this sectoral diversity, with the EU accounting for 367 of the world's top 2500 R&D investors. Half of these companies are in Germany, France, and the Netherlands, concentrating 73% of private R&D investment in the EU.

The EU sectoral distribution reveals a broad representation of investors, showing a higher degree of diversity compared to the US. The automotive sector accounts for 32% of R&D investments, followed by health (19.7%), ICT producers (14.4%), and ICT services (8%). Notably, 18% of the EU's top 1000 R&D investors are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with two-thirds coming from the health sector.

The Scoreboard for 2023 underscores the strategic importance of R&D investment to maintain competitiveness, even during crises. European firms, including those in Malta, have shown a notable commitment to environmental responsibility, leading in the reduction of carbon footprints among Scoreboard companies. The EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, now in its 20th edition, provides essential economic and financial information based on the audited accounts of the world's top 2500 R&D investors.

The agreement covers five key proposals of the Pact:

• Screening Regulation: creating uniform rules concerning the identification of non-EU nationals upon their arrival, thus increasing the security within the Schengen area.
• Eurodac Regulation: developing a common database gathering more accurate and complete data to detect unauthorised movements.
• Asylum Procedures Regulation: making asylum, return and border procedures quicker and more effective.
• Asylum Migration Management Regulation: establishing a new solidarity mechanism amongst Member States to balance the current system where a few countries are responsible for the vast majority of asylum applications, and clear rules on responsibility for asylum applications.
• Crisis and Force majeure Regulation: ensuring that the EU is prepared in the future to face situations of crisis, including instrumentalisation of migrants.

Once these proposals are formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council, the pillars of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum will be in place.

The Commission presented the New Pact on Migration and Asylum in September 2020, with the aim of finding long-term and sustainable solutions to managing migration. The Pact will create a legal framework that balances solidarity and responsibility between Member States, in a comprehensive approach to managing migration effectively and fairly .

President Ursula von der Leyen said: "Europe is a strong community and capable of finding great answers to great challenges. I welcome the timely political agreement reached by Parliament and Council on the key elements of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Our goal was to find a fair and pragmatic approach to managing migration together in the EU. It is a crucial step in making sure that Europe has the tools to manage migration.”

The agreement reached today reflects the commitment to manage migration in a fair and orderly way, allowing the Union and its Member States to move from ad-hoc to long-term and sustainable solutions. Until these new rules are fully applicable, the Commission stands ready to continue working with the European Parliament and the Council. The scope is clear, to ensure adoption on all Pact files by the end of this legislative mandate.

The changes will be communicated to users on February 21, 2024, and implemented on May 28, 2024. The CPC will monitor and enforce compliance.

The disbursement aligns with the REPowerEU Plan's goal to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, given recent geopolitical events.

The pre-financing payments, equivalent to up to 20% of the additional funds requested for each country's REPowerEU chapter, support the accelerated implementation of measures. Similar disbursements have been made to Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and France, following Council approval of their revised plans, which include a REPowerEU chapter.

Malta's plan, now inclusive of one reform and one investment to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, aligns with the REPowerEU objectives. The country has requested a transfer of €40 million from its Brexit Adjustment Reserve, in addition to its REPowerEU grant of €30 million.

Key measures in Malta's REPowerEU plan include a reform of the permitting system for renewable energy projects and a €70 million investment in the electricity grid. The reform aims to expedite permits for renewable energy projects and mandate rooftop solar panels on certain new buildings. The investment will enhance the electricity grid, expand distribution services, and establish centralised battery storage capacity. Collectively, these measures are expected to boost Malta's renewable energy share and accelerate decarbonization across energy, building, and transport sectors.