Operational Programme II

Programme description

Main objectives

Malta’s ESF Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 period aims to achieve inclusive growth by fostering an economy which is conducive to economic, social and territorial cohesion.  The objective of the Programme, in line with Malta’s targets under the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, focuses on employment, social inclusion, education and capacity building.

The OP places particular emphasis on employability and adaptability of job seekers and workers including women, older workers and youth.  The Programme will assist specific target groups to enter and remain in the labour market as well as to improve their skills.  Moreover, specific attention will be directed towards creating a more inclusive society, whereby interventions will focus on addressing poverty and social exclusion through the promotion of equal opportunities, active participation and improved employability. In addition, interventions will also be directed towards the promotion of healthier lifestyles and the enhancement of the health care service delivery.

The focus on education will contribute towards reducing and preventing early school-leaving, enhancing participation in tertiary education, improving the labour-market relevance of vocational education and training, as well as ensuring equal access to lifelong learning for all age groups.

This Operational Programme will also contribute towards improving the efficiency and quality of public administration and the judicial system.

Finally, in order to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, OPII provides both ESF and REACT-EU financial support to the expenditure aimed at fostering crisis-response capacity to the COVID-19 outbreak.​

Priority Axes

The objectives of the Programme will be achieved through the following priority axes namely:

•                     Priority Axis 1: Investing in the employability and adaptability of human capital;

•                     Priority Axis 2: Towards a more inclusive society;

•                     Priority Axis 3: Investing in people through education, training and lifelong learning;

•                     Priority Axis 4: Building the institutional administrative capacity; 

•                     Priority Axis 5: Technical Assistance; 

•           Priority Axis 6: Enabling job maintenance in the context of the COVID pandemic crisis; and

•        Priority Axis 7: REACT-EU Additional support for job maintenance in the context of the COVID pandemic crisis.

Financial information

Total OP budget: €168,304,310

EU Co-Financing Rate: 80%

Total OP REACT-EU budget: €111,196,276.00 

EU Co-Financing Rate: 100% 

Grand Total: €279,500,586.00

OPII approved projects​

 OPII - List of Approved Projects and Beneficiaries ​
​ OPII - List of Approved Aid Schemes​​​​​

Link to the list of Aid Scheme's Approved Projects and Beneficiaries:

 Investing in Skills (JobsPlus)​ ​
 Access to Employment (JobsPlus)​​​​​​​​​​​ ​

Managing Authority

Planning and Priorities Coordination Division (PPCD)

Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA)

Triq il-Kukkanja,

Santa Venera, SVR 1411

+356 2200 1142/3

Managing Authority Website​

Download

The approved and revised version of OPII, dated June 2021 - Investing in human capital to create more opportunities and promote the wellbeing of society may be found here​.​​​​

OPII Annual Implementation Reports