Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516411
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS UNDER European Social Fund+ 2021-2027 The Ministry responsible for European Funds would like to announce that it is launching a call for project proposals in the following area: Priority 2 - Fostering Active Inclusion for All Specific Objective: 4.11 – Equal access to quality social and healthcare services The call will close on 22 nd April 2024 at noon. The online application form for the submission of project proposals and supporting documentation are available on https://fondi.eu/what-funding-is-available/. Prospective Applicants are encouraged to refer to the European Social Fund+ Programme and the Eligibility Guidance Notes in order to check whether their proposals are eligible for funding through this call for project proposals. Further information on this call and on the European Structural and Investment Funds may be obtained from https://fondi.eu/. Any query should be sent by email on fondi.eu@gov.mt. A dedicated information session is being organised on Thursday, 7 th March, 2024 from 14:30 till 17:30 at the offices of Servizzi Ewropej f'Malta – 280, Republic Street, Valletta. Registration for the information session can be done by scanning the below QR code. ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS UNDER European Social Fund+ 2021-2027 The Ministry responsible for European Funds would like to announce that it is launching a call for project proposals in the following area: Priority 2 - Fostering Active Inclusion for All Specific Objective: 4.11 – Equal access to quality social and healthcare services The call will close on 22 nd April 2024 at noon. The online application form for the submission of project proposals and supporting documentation are available on https://fondi.eu/what-funding-is-available/. Prospective Applicants are encouraged to refer to the European Social Fund+ Programme and the Eligibility Guidance Notes in order to check whether their proposals are eligible for funding through this call for project proposals. Further information on this call and on the European Structural and Investment Funds may be obtained from https://fondi.eu/. Any query should be sent by email on fondi.eu@gov.mt. A dedicated information session is being organised on Thursday, 7 th March, 2024 from 14:30 till 17:30 at the offices of Servizzi Ewropej f'Malta – 280, Republic Street, Valletta. Registration for the information session can be done by scanning the below QR code. MALTA has fallen from 18th place in 2023 to 29th place in 2024 in the global Climate Change Per- formance Index. As MPs finish two weeks in par- liament discussing a new govern- ment authority that will group policymakers and experts forging a national strategy on the climate crisis, Malta scores even more poorly this year on national cli- mate policy. On policy it ranked 56th in the CPPI, and 50th on the share of re- newable energy in energy use. The CCPI uses a standardised framework that compares the climate performance of 63 coun- tries and the EU, which together account for over 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cli- mate mitigation performance is assessed on greenhouse gas emis- sions, renewables, energy use and climate policy. Overall Malta was dubbed a "medium-performing" country, with high scores on energy use per capita – ranked 11th – and 12th for emissions per capita. Postitively, since 2015 Malta has had a Climate Action Act in place that makes climate protection le- gally binding. In energy, Malta is also exploring potential offshore renewable en- ergy. The CCPI's country experts welcome this step but criticise the current low share of renewa- bles (12.2%). They also demand a national renewable energy policy that accelerates clean energy and creates a clear pathway to achieve climate targets. The index also notes that Mal- ta's Transport Master Plan for 2025 and Transport Strategy 2050 include strong targets, but the policies lack implementation and enforcement. On a negative note, the country experts note that Malta is propos- ing new fossil fuel infrastructure with the Melita TransGas Pipe- line. Instead, the report calls on Malta to move away from fossil fuels and phase-out gas by 2035. It also calls for greater investment of public finance in renewable en- ergy for Malta to move away from all fossil fuels and reduce automo- bile dependency. The declined performance of Malta is partly attributed to new and updated data on the LULUCF (Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry) sector. In fact, in terms of greenhouse gases per capita, Malta ranks 11th place when this sector is included but ranks 32nd place when this sector is excluded. Most of the CCPI is based on quantitative data, but data for cli- mate policy is assessed annually using a comprehensive question- naire distributed amongst climate and energy policy experts from NGOs, universities, and think tanks within the evaluated coun- tries. The policy score only ac- counts for 20% of the total score. Denmark tops this year's ranking in 4th place, followed by Estonia in 5th place and the Philippines in 6th place. The top three spots were not awarded simply because nobody deserved such a ranking. Climate Action Authority A new Climate Action Authority will be obliged to monitor govern- ment actions and obligations to reduce carbon emissions, while acting as a science-based advisory body to ensure climate neutrality targets are met. The authority – financed by a budgetary vote of €1.75 million – will be tasked to implement cli- mate change mitigation and ad- aptation measures, monitor their impact and coordinate proposals with both public and private enti- ties, and regulate decarbonisation targets and a Climate Action Fund. Among its responsibilities will be implementing European cli- mate law and policies, as well as having an independent, national climate action council. The coun- cil will group climate experts on science, public policy, finance, the economy, and social fields, who will report annually on climate ac- tion progress to the ministry. The CAA will replace what to- day is known as the Malta Re- sources Authority. As a party to the 2015 Paris Agreement, Malta has to submit plans on how it will achieve cli- mate neutrality every five years. The Climate Action Authority will coordinate national strategies to tackle climate change by bring- ing together experts, stakeholders, and policymakers to shape cli- mate action with evidence-based and research-based initiatives. For the first time in recent histo- ry, Malta experienced 10 consecu- tive days of a heatwave with tem- peratures reaching 42.7 degrees Celsius. The percentage of renewable sources in Malta today accounts for 13.4% as opposed to less than 2% of all sources back in 2013. Be- fore 2013, renewable energy sys- tems accounted for some 10MW in generation. Today these total 230MW, and up to 800MW when added with clean energy generat- ed by the Delimara plants and the Malta-Sicily interconnector. The government will invest in a 50MW offshore renewable energy source – a floating solar farm. Malta falls in climate change index over low renewables share Malta drops 11 spots in Climate Change Performance Index Malta has been dubbed a medium performing country by climate change index