The European Parliament has approved a €86.7 billion social assistance package spearheaded by Maltese MEP David Casa intended to help businesses and households from the effects of climate transition. 

In a press release on Tuesday, Casa said that the fund was the most significant social measure "on the road to net zero". 

“We have robust safeguards on how governments will operate the Fund, especially through strict targeting requirements to ensure that funding goes where it will have the biggest impact," he said. 

"The Commission will evaluate detailed plans on how the measures are designed and implemented, with funds only being disbursed upon completion of milestones and targets.”

The MEP said that Maltese citizens are set to benefit from a ten-fold increase in funding under the provisional agreement through some €60 million in funding. 

“There was a strong case to be made and I am very happy to have achieved this result," Casa said on the increased share for Malta. 

Casa was the lead negotiator of the social climate fund on behalf of the employment and social affairs committee, working jointly with Esther de Lange of the Netherlands on behalf of the committee on the environment and food safety.

“The point of the fund is to bring down energy bills and to move away from fossil fuels. We can achieve both by investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy," Casa said.

"With the social climate fund, I want to see investments reach citizens with more solar panels, more efficient appliances, better insulation, and greener alternatives to transport.”

The fund is the cornerstone of the fit-for-55 package’s social policy, addressing any disproportionate effects that climate measures may have on vulnerable households and micro-enterprises.