Old incentives for business

EU rules on state aid also cover state assistance that is paid to other enterprises. Until some time ago, Malta granted investment incentives to new enterprises under a law known as the Industrial Development Act (IDA) and under the Malta Freeport Act (MFA). During negotiations, Malta requested an agreement to ensure that the enterprises that were already awarded assistance under these laws would continue to receive it until the stipulated date of expiry. This was necessary because these companies had legitimate expectations that entitled them to this assistance.