The Just Transition Fund has been launched with an allocation of €33 million in European funds that will help the country address the environmental impacts in the transition towards a climate-neutral economy, it was announced in a news conference from -Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett.
Dr. Bonett said that these funds will go to strengthen the electricity supply infrastructure in the shore-to-ship project. €33 million will be invested in the onshore power supply project in the Port il-Kbir project and in the shore-to-ship project in the Freeport.
These projects will reduce emissions and air pollution while offering clean air. Therefore, the formal process of advance notice was launched regarding the issuing of applications for these projects which are part of the strategic vision of Malta and the European Union.
Parliamentary Secretary Bonett said that today they are also officially launching the first operational program after at the beginning of this week the government presented its vision of how it will invest €2.2 billion. Dr. Bonett said that the European funds will be used to offer clean air quality to the residents who live near the Port il-Kbir such as Marsa, Floriana, Cottonera and Pahal Đidi and the residents who live near the Freeport including in the locality of Birżebbuġa.
Dr. Bonett said that this fund will help the government to work together with member states of the European Union to reach the climate-neutrality target by the year 2050. “Our commitment when it comes to funds is that as a country we continue to carry out projects that will improve the quality of people’s lives. For us this means that €2.2 billion in European funds will be used appropriately by anyone who has an ambitious project to carry out, both at government level and at the level of any individual,” concluded Dr Bonett. .
