EU lists Malta as its worst greenhouse gas emitter, but there's a catch
Eurostat data includes emissions generated by Malta-registered aircraft, most of which do not operate in Malta
Malta's greenhouse gas emissions increased by an estimated +169.4% over the past decade, making the island the worst of only four countries which saw an increase in such emissions, an EU report issued on Wednesday shows.
Emissions rose by 10.7% in Cyprus, 9.5% in Lithuania and 5.4% in Romania.
It was the second negative environmental report for Malta in as many days, with a report by the European Environment Agency on Tuesday showing a deterioration of seawater quality.
Eurostat, the EU's statistical arm, said on Wednesday that in 2025, the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the EU’s economy and households were estimated at 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, covering all economic activities and households combined. This represented a 17.2% decrease compared with 2015.
Between 2015 and 2025, greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 23 EU countries and increased in four.
The largest reductions were estimated for Estonia (-41.7%), Finland (-30.7%) and Germany (-27.3%).
Increases were estimated for Malta (+169.4%), Cyprus (+10.7%), Lithuania (+9.5%) and Romania (+5.4%).
Distorted data
The Central Bank of Malta said in a report in April that Malta’s greenhouse gas emission intensity was actually falling, not rising, arguing that EU data is distorted by emissions generated outside the country.
Chief officer Aaron Grech wrote that while EU data indicates a rise in Malta’s emission intensity (the relationship between a country’s greenhouse gas emissions and its economic output), other data from the United Nations suggested an opposite trend, showing emission intensity at a “historically low” level.
The cause behind these completely different conclusions lay in the difference in definitions used by Eurostat and the UN, and by the way they affect the emissions of the air transportation sector. The Eurostat data includes emissions generated by Malta-registered aircraft, most of which do not operate in Malta.
On the other hand, the UN figures only include emissions that take place within Malta’s territory.
Malta’s aircraft registry has more than tripled over the past seven years, with the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions rising twentyfold during this time. However, only 4.38% of the flights carried out by Malta-registered planes actually take place within Malta’s airspace.
Eurostat in its report on Wednesday also explained that its methodology attributes international transport emissions to individual countries, following the SEEA standard. This differs from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement rules.