The Maltese are Europe’s unlikely green advocates according to a new Eurobarometer survey which found that they are among the most likely to push for investment in renewable energy, promote the circular economy and call for measures to reduce energy consumption.

The study, which surveyed 500 people in Malta, was carried out in the last week of August.

Some 55% of Maltese say that it is very important for the EU to provide financing which will accelerate investment in renewable energy, more than any other country in the EU and significantly higher than the bloc’s average of 33%.

Likewise, almost three-quarters of Maltese believe that EU initiatives to reduce waste, increase recycling and encourage the re-use and repair of goods are very important.

The Maltese also appear to top the European table in their support for clean industries, with 59% describing EU initiatives to enhance their competitiveness as very important.

The survey also finds that Malta is among the countries leading the pack in pushing for an overall reduction in energy consumption, with some 87% saying that they either totally or tend to agree that EU measures should aim to reduce energy use.

These findings appear to run counter to Malta’s ongoing struggles to transition to clean energy.

Although Malta’s clean energy use has been inching upwards each year, data from the EU’s statistics body recently found that only 12% of Malta’s total energy came from renewable sources in 2021, the second-lowest rate in Europe.

'Uptake of electric vehicles in Malta: 'Low level of ambition'

This means that Malta has already surpassed its declared target of 11.5% by 2030, a target that the European Commission described as displaying “a very low level of ambition”.

Meanwhile, the rate of uptake of electric vehicles in Malta remains among the lowest in Europe according to Eurostat data.

Nonetheless, Malta is bound by international treaties to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Reports of the EU mulling a forced end to blanket government subsidies on energy costs have raised fears that energy prices could spike drastically if Malta does not increase its share of renewable energy sooner rather than later.  Malta’s 2021 census found that just 12.4% of dwellings have PV panels installed.

An increase in energy prices could well prove hugely unpopular with the Maltese public who, according to the Eurobarometer survey, are among the most likely in Europe to be in favour of EU measures to limit the impact of rising energy costs on consumers.