Malta

Malta ranks 34th in this year’s CCPI, down five spots and a medium performer. The country receives mixed ratings, with a high in Energy Use, medium in GHG Emissions, low in Climate Policy, and very low in Renewable Energy.

Since 2015, Malta has had a Climate Action Act that makes climate protection legally binding. However, the CCPI country experts criticise the lack of concrete efforts to reduce GHG emissions and the poor implementation of climate policies. In 2024, the Climate Action Authority was officially established as Malta’s first authority to coordinate and oversee climate change policies.

Subsidies support citizens, but also support energy consumption

In the newest budget, for 2025, the finance minister announced continuation of many subsidies, including energy, to support citizens. The experts agree that protecting citizens from fuel poverty is important, but they criticise that energy subsidies in effect subsidise high energy consumption and waste.

The renewable energy share in Malta’s energy consumption is still low. While the experts note some progress in solar energy use, they denounce offshore wind energy having not moved beyond the planning stage. Wind energy has been discussed in Malta since the late 1990s, but this has yet to result in the installation of a single turbine. Despite this, in October 2024, the National Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy was launched.

The country heavily depends on fossil fuels and the experts note there is little to no political will for actual phase-outs. In 2024, the government purchased a diesel-powered plant for dealing with a potential electricity shortfall.

Despite free public transport, automobiles prevail

The experts also note that Malta’s transport sector is lagging, with automobiles still favoured over other modes of transport. However, the experts point out a significant increase in the number of electric vehicles, owing to the popularity of subsidies supporting their use. While public transport in Malta has been free since October 2022, the experts note that automobile usage has not decreased and criticise that bicycle lanes are still lacking.

Overall, the experts criticise the insufficient ambition and implementation of climate policy in Malta. Fossil fuels should be phased out as soon as possible and public money should be invested in renewables, energy savings, and community energy. There is an urgent need to reduce automobile dependence and private vehicles’ fuel consumption, and to create a shift to more sustainable modes of transport.

Key Outcomes

CCPI experts

The following national experts agreed to be mentioned as contributors for this year’s CCPI:

• Luciano Mule’Stagno (Inst. for Sustainable Energy)
• Dr Suzanne Maas  (Friends of the Earth Malta)
• Dr John Paul Cauchi (Queen Mary University of London)