Prime Minister Robert Abela has addressed the Maltese Parliament to reiterate his opposition to EU-wide taxes, including proposals that could affect online gambling operators.
He addressed Parliament on the issue for the first time following the recent European Council meeting.
Abela defended Malta’s long-standing position on fiscal sovereignty. He also highlighted Malta’s participation in the “Friends of Cohesion” group of member states, which is seeking to influence negotiations on the future EU budget.
He said cohesion policy should continue to support economic development, competitiveness and growth across the bloc.
According to Abela, any reforms linked to the EU budget should be developed through consultation and reflect the interests of individual member states rather than being imposed on them.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the Government’s experience and expertise would help secure a positive outcome for Malta as negotiations intensify in the coming months.
EU leaders have tasked Ireland, which assumes the rotating EU presidency in July, with proposing new sources of funding for the EU budget covering the 2028-2034 period by October.
Among the options under consideration are an EU-wide tax on online gambling operators and large technology companies. Other proposals include a tax on uncollected electronic waste, a share of tobacco excise duty revenue and an annual lump-sum contribution from large corporations operating and selling within the EU.
Ireland must now assess which option, or combination of options, has the greatest chance of securing unanimous support from all 27 member states ahead of the next EU summit in October. Any new EU taxation framework requires unanimous approval from member states.
Member states must unanimously approve the next long-term EU budget by the end of 2027, but leaders hope to secure an agreement sooner to prevent the process from being delayed by upcoming elections in several member countries
