An updated country profile for Malta is now available on the Compendium, thanks to the efforts and great work of our Maltese Compendium experts Karsten Xuereb and Adrian Debattista.
Over the past two years, Malta’s cultural landscape has undergone significant transformation.
Through the launch of long-term strategic plans, key institutional restructuring, and new European partnerships, the cultural and creative sectors continue to mature.
Here are the key cultural policy highlights shaping Malta’s arts and heritage sector:
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Implementation of Arts Council Malta’s Strategy 2030: Following the conclusion of Strategy 2025, Arts Council Malta launched Strategy 2030. The framework places professionalisation, fair practice, community inclusion, wellbeing, and strategic advocacy at the forefront while actively addressing the opportunities and challenges posed by AI in the creative sectors.
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Government Reconfiguration & Institutional Growth: Restructuring led to the formation of the Ministry for Arts, Culture and the National Heritage (MACH). The portfolio consolidated publishing policy by bringing the National Book Council into MACH while establishing new public bodies, including the Fondazzjoni għall-Malta Biennale, Film Finance Malta Ltd, and the De Valette Chamber Orchestra.
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Launch of the National Agency for the Performing Arts (NAPA): Officially launched in February 2025, NAPA now unifies the administrative and operational oversight of Teatru Malta, ŻfinMalta, and KorMalta under a single framework, preserving each entity’s distinct artistic vision while improving efficiency.
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Strengthening International and Regional Commitments: Malta deepened its European integration by holding the Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, ratifying the European Landscape Convention, acceding to Eurimages, and signing the Council of Europe Convention on the Co-Production of Audiovisual Works in the Form of Series (CETS 230). Regionally, Gozo celebrated its title as the 2025 “Region of Culture” under the theme Common Ground.
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AI, Digital Media, and Innovation Regulations: In line with the EU AI Act, Malta designated the MDIA and IDPC as regulatory bodies, alongside launching a landmark OpenAI partnership providing citizens with free access to ChatGPT Plus upon completing an AI literacy course. In media governance, Legal Notice 175 of 2025 implemented the EU European Media Freedom Act.
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Sectoral Consultation and Financial Support: The launch of the Sectoral Representative Working Group (SRWG) in early 2025 established a dedicated consultative board for sector professionals. ACM streamlined its competitive funding portfolio to 19 schemes, confirmed a €2 million Screen Support Scheme, and provided interest-subsidy support for band club investments.
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The complete Country Profile with detailed data and analyses is available for download here:
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