DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 29 July 2026
Commission endorses Malta's €60 million Social Climate Plan to support vulnerable households and small companies in the clean transition
The European Commission has today endorsed Malta's Social Climate Plan – the fourth national plan adopted under the Social Climate Fund using revenues from carbon pricing to ensure a fair and inclusive clean transition. Malta’s plan will mobilise €60.6 million until 2032, including €45.4 million from the European Union.
The Social Climate Fund provides significant financial support to EU Member States to finance measures and investments identified in their national Social Climate Plans, ensuring that the clean transition is fair and leaves no one behind. Running from 2026 to 2032, the Fund is expected to mobilise at least €86.7 billion, combining revenues from the new emissions trading system for fuel combustion in buildings, road transport and additional sectors (ETS2) as well as Member States’ contributions (at least 25% of the costs of their plans).
Malta’s plan will help vulnerable households improve the energy efficiency of their homes and renovate apartments in public social housing buildings. It will do so through energy-efficiency upgrades, such as roof insulation, and the installation of renewable energy systems, including heat pump water heaters and photovoltaic systems with battery storage.
More information is available in the press release.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Eirini Zarkadoula - Tel.: +32 2 295 70 65; Ana Crespo Parrondo –Tel.: +3222981325)
Commission opens in-depth investigation into arbitration award ordering Romania to pay compensation to ten energy investors
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether an arbitration award ordering Romania to pay compensation to ten investors for changes to a renewable electricity support measure is in line with EU State aid rules.
Romania established a scheme to support the production of electricity from renewable sources through green certificates, which was approved under State aid rules in July 2011. Romania amended the scheme several times in 2013, 2014 and later. The Commission approved the amendments to the scheme under State aid rules in May 2015 and December 2016.
A group of ten companies that invested in five solar photovoltaic power plants that benefitted from the scheme started arbitration proceedings against Romania following the amendments, claiming compensation for the support they would have received if Romania had not modified the scheme.
An arbitral tribunal found that Romania infringed the Energy Charter Treaty and on 20 February 2024 ordered Romania to compensate the investors for losses allegedly suffered due to the modifications. The awarded compensation amounts to €42.2 million plus interest and additional costs. Romania notified this award to the Commission under State aid rules and informed the Commission it had made a payment under the award to an account opened in the name of the beneficiaries of the award.
At this stage, the Commission's preliminary view is that the arbitration award and its implementation constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which is incompatible with the internal market. The Commission will further investigate the measure and its compatibility with the internal market, and in particular a possible breach of the EU Treaties by the aid measure.
A press release is available.
(For more information: Siobhan McGarry - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 2 299 47 74)
Dr. Kezban AKANSOY
Press Officer / Political Reporter
European Commission
Representation in Cyprus
EU House, 30 Byron Avenue, 1096 Nicosia
Tel: +357 22817770 or 22817837 (direct)
Mobile: +90 533 8672030 or +357 99689521
kezban.akansoy@ec.europa.eu
https://cyprus.representation.ec.europa.eu