European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
Government grants including scrappage schemes for the purchase of electric vehicles for private individuals, local councils, non-government organisations, businesses and private companies. Government notice 517 of 2021. Motor vehicles registration and licensing act and other laws, Act no. XI of 2010
In 2023, Transport Malta launched 8 grants, with the aim of decreasing polluting internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from Maltese roads. These include a scheme intended to incentivise registered businesses, companies, and the general public to purchase new electric vehicles, with an associated scrappage scheme providing financial support to applicants who couple their purchase with the deregistration of a vehicle of any category 10 years or more from its year of manufacture. This scheme is made possible by RRP funds amounting to €15,000,000. Purchasers of electric vehicles registered during 2022 who did not avail themselves of any related grants in 2022 can also apply under this scheme. The total maximum grant allocated to registered businesses and companies for this purpose, under the DeMinimis Rules, is of €200,000. Undertakings performing road freight transport for hire are eligible for the maximum sum of €100,000. This incentive allows a mix and match of replacement of old vehicles and purchase of new electric vehicles and pedelecs. This incentive encompasses a wide range of vehicle types: new passenger cars; vehicles used for the transportation of goods; minibuses; coaches; quadricycles; motorcycles; pedelecs.
The amount of grant allocated per electric vehicle ranges from a minimum of €500 to a maximum of €70,000 per vehicle, under the De Minimis State Aid Rules; if undertakings cannot apply under the De Minimis regulations because are not eligible under the said regulations, or because they exceed applicable thresholds, may apply for the incentive under the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), where the maximum grant is €400,000 per vehicle.
For the comprehensive list which specifies the amount allocated according to the set criteria, one could visit Transport Malta's online portal.
Another scheme, aimed at persons and undertakings, supports the retrofitting of battery electric powertrains on motor vehicles, specifically: passenger cars; vans; vehicles used for transporting goods; minibuses; buses; coaches. The National Government budgeted funds for this scheme amounting to €50,000. The grant amounts to 80% of the installation costs.
The 2022 grant for the purchase of Plugin Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) is closed except for vehicles ordered by 31st May 2022.
The current schemes came into effect on the 1 January 2023 and will be open till 31 December 2023.
There are plans to renew such schemes on a yearly basis as it is considered a key strategy for the Maltese government to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Apart from this grant scheme, companies that opt for electric vehicles benefit from cheaper registration tax on their vehicles. The registration tax of non-electric vehicles is calculated on the euro standard, CO2, particulate matter (diesel engines only) and length. The following formula is used: (registration value x CO2 x %) + (registration value x length (mm) x %).
Since electric vehicles have no emissions, the first part of the formula is not applicable and therefore the registration tax of an electric vehicle is calculated solely upon the length, the percentage according to the length, and the registration value.
Another initiative aimed at smoothing the transition to electric vehicles is the availability of a number of free electric charging stations. According to Malta’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, the government is planning to install a total of 6,500 charging stations across the islands by 2030.
While the government has not given a definite cut-off date banning the purchase of vehicles with internal combustion engines, Malta’s Low Carbon Development Strategy points out that these vehicles will be banned by 2030-34.
The government has pledged that it will be leading by example. To demonstrate its commitment, it will be changing its entire fleet – including public buses – to electric vehicles by 2030. Government estimates project that Malta will have more than 65,000 electric vehicles (including PHEV) by 2030.
Eurofound (2021), Malta: Company incentives to deploy electric vehicles, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/company-incentives-to-deploy-electric-vehicles/malta
Between the end of 2022 and the first half of 2023, almost 300,000 employees working for ‘big tech’ companies were laid off across the world, making headlines for months in global media. This development has been a shock, considering the high numbers of jobs in well-known tech corporations with a reputation for offering good working conditions and well-paid positions.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions. Many banks in the sector have been undergoing serial restructuring since the global financial crisis, and it is one of the few service sectors with stagnant or declining employment.
Since 2011, the Restructuring support instruments database of the EU PolicyWatch has been collecting information on measures that assist companies and workers to anticipate and manage restructuring. This article looks at measures in the database aimed at supporting employees and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022).
Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor database reveals the impact of the energy crisis on employment in the EU. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices have hit record highs. The European Commission imposed sanctions and limitations on the import of oil and gas from Russia, which has reacted by reneging on supply commitments to many Member States.
