The scope of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is mainly to promote investments and correct the main regional imbalances of the EU. This fund finances projects related to:

• productive investment leading to the creation or maintenance of jobs;
• infrastructure;
• local development initiatives and the business activities of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Development areas covered under this fund are transport, R&D, communication technologies, energy, the environment, innovation, entrepreneurship, social infrastructure, training, urban redevelopment and the conversion of industrial sites, rural development, the fishing industry, tourism and culture, and safeguarding sustainable jobs.

European Regional Development Fund 2007 - 2013 in Malta

The implementation of ERDF is Malta is based on the Operational Programme 1: Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life.

Operational Programme 1 “Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life” is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF).

Operational Programme 1 has a total budget of 856,615,354.11 million Euro. This figure includes both the European Union (EU) and national contributions.

An important principle of this OP is the concentration of resources – that is focusing the intervention of funds in those areas and sectors which lend themselves best to the interventions of Cohesion Policy and where the Funds can achieve maximum results in terms of impact and absorption. Cohesion Policy is an important funding arm towards improving Malta’s competitiveness, as well as the quality of life of the Maltese citizen. Interventions envisaged will complement the efforts being co-funded by the national budget and other sources, including other Community Programmes and Initiatives.

Malta’s strategy for this OP is based on the socio-economic challenges that the country will face during the intervention period as identified in the NSRF, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the current socio-economic situation in Malta, priorities emanating from national strategies. Sustainable Development is an overarching concept that represents an integral part of this Programme. This Programme will primarily support investments in a number of critical sectors such as enterprise-support infrastructure, RTDi, tourism, transport, environment and risk prevention, energy, education and social infrastructure, urban regeneration, health and e-society. The OP also aims to invest directly in enterprises, undertakings and non-undertakings, through a number of aid schemes co-financed by the ERDF. The whole territory of the country will be eligible for interventions under this OP.

Operational Programme 1 “Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life”, is currently awaiting its formal approval from the European Commission.

For general information contact:

Communications Team

Planning and Priorities Coordination Division

Office of the Prime Minister

12, St. Paul’s Street, Valletta, VLT 2000

Tel. 2200 1142/3