Malta

Last update: October, 2026

Source: Author’s compilation from gov.mt, opm.gov.mt, foreign.gov.mt, kultura.gov.mt, legislation.mt and entity websites, June 2026. Dashed borders indicate functional groupings; solid borders are legal-personality institutions or statutory bodies.

Last update: October, 2026

Cultural governance at national level is led by the Ministry for Arts, Culture and the National Heritage, which holds policy responsibility for cultural heritage, restoration, the arts, theatres, the Maltese language, the national archives, the national library, public broadcasting and the film industry. The Ministry's Culture Directorate and Restoration Directorate provide policy direction and oversight, and budgetary allocations are made through the annual Financial Estimates. Other ministries contribute through specific measures: the Ministry for Education and Sport on arts education and cultural participation; the Ministry for Tourism on cultural tourism; the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on cultural diplomacy; and the Office of the Prime Minister on the Broadcasting Authority. Local government, which sat within the culture portfolio until June 2026, is now under the Ministry for Local Government and Public Works..

Arts Council Malta (ACM) is the central arm’s-length agency, established under the Arts Council Malta Act (Cap. 542, 2015). ACM administers competitive funding (nineteen competitive schemes in 2026, delivered through approximately thirty individual calls) and operationalises national cultural policy through its current Strategy 2030, which succeeded the Strategy 2025 “Care, Create, Flourish” on its conclusion. ACM oversees a network of Public Cultural Organisations: Festivals Malta, Teatru Manoel, the Agency for the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (the formal entity name for the MPO, established by Legal Notice 254 of 2022 under the Public Administration Act), Spazju Kreattiv / Centre for Creativity Foundation, Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta Cultural Agency, MICAS, the Mediterranean Conference Centre, and — under the umbrella of the National Agency for the Performing Arts (NAPA) established in 2023 — Teatru Malta, ŻfinMalta and KorMalta. NAPA provides a unified legal and administrative framework for the three performing-arts companies while retaining their distinct artistic identities through three Artistic Directors; the public launch took place in February 2025. Following the June 2026 general election, several additional entities were placed under the ministry: the National Book Council, transferred from the education portfolio; the Fondazzjoni għall-Malta Biennale, established as a separate legal entity distinct from Heritage Malta; Film Finance Malta Ltd, supporting the financing of audiovisual production; and the De Valette Chamber Orchestra.

Heritage governance is led by Heritage Malta, the agency responsible for national museums, archaeological sites and the conservation of state-owned cultural assets, and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the regulatory authority on heritage protection (see 3.1). Malta Libraries and the National Archives, established under the Malta Libraries Act (Cap. 511, 2011) and the National Archives Act (Cap. 477, 2005) respectively, hold the national documentary and bibliographic heritage. In the audiovisual sector, the Malta Film Commission administers production incentives and supports the film-servicing industry under the Malta Film Commission Act (Cap. 478, 2005); since November 2024 it has fallen within the culture portfolio. PBS Ltd is the public-service broadcaster, regulated by the Broadcasting Authority constituted under the Broadcasting Act (Cap. 350, 1991). Following the June 2026 general election, the National Book Council was transferred from the Ministry for Education and Sport to MACH, consolidating books, publishing and literary policy within the culture portfolio for the first time.

The cultural rights framing of the National Cultural Policy (2021) has been translated into national-level practice through initiatives including ACM’s Right to Culture resource pack and dedicated funding strand, and the Charter for the Status of the Artist, drafted by ACM, launched for consultation in June 2024 and endorsed by all eleven Public Cultural Organisations at the State of the Arts 2024 Symposium in October 2024 (see 2.3). Public-engagement practices have also been institutionalised at agency level: the Valletta Cultural Agency operates the Valletta Design Cluster on a community-membership model; Teatru Manoel runs the TOI TOI Learning and Participation Programme; Festivals Malta integrates accessibility and public calls into its programming; Heritage Malta has expanded multi-sensory and outreach programming; and the National Book Council — transferred to the culture portfolio from the Ministry for Education and Sport following the June 2026 general election — maintains annual stakeholder consultations linked to funding and strategy.

The Ministry's governance framework also includes a range of advisory bodies, boards and statutory committees: the National Council for Cultural Heritage, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Board, the Committee of Guarantee (all constituted under the Cultural Heritage Act), the Creativity Trust Board, the Band Clubs Management Board, the Carnival Board, the Board of Warrants for Conservators and Restorers, the European Film Awards Committee, the Festival Kanzunetta Maltija Consultative and Organising Committees, the National Festivities Committee, the National World Heritage Technical Committee, the Media Literacy Development Board and the Arts Council Malta Sectoral Representative Working Group (SRWG).

Last update: October, 2026

Malta has no intermediate tier of regional government with legislative powers. Since the Local Government Act (Cap. 363, 1993) was substantially amended by Act XIV of 2019, the six Regional Councils — Gozo, Northern, Western, Eastern, Southern and Port — have been formally established as inter-local coordinating bodies composed of representatives of the local councils within each region. Their statutory remit covers waste management, regional services and inter-locality coordination; since 2022 they have also held a coordinating role in culture.

The Regional Cultural Strategies 2022–2027, launched at the end of 2022, were developed jointly by Arts Council Malta, the Local Government Division (which sat within the culture ministry until the June 2026 general election and is now under the Ministry for Local Government and Public Works) and the Local Councils' Association, with each regional council leading the identification of regional cultural needs and priorities. The six strategies are tailored to each region but share common themes: developing local talent, increasing community cultural participation, and fostering innovation in heritage and the arts. The Gozo Regional Strategy positions the island for a future European Capital of Culture candidacy; the Northern Region promotes annual locality cultural plans; the Eastern Region prioritises library services and intercultural programmes; the Western Region focuses on artist–NGO–council collaboration; the Southern Region targets alternative-space community arts; and the Port Region focuses on harbour-area cultural infrastructure.

The strategies are accompanied by a Region of Culture programme launched in 2024, under which one region per year holds the title with a dedicated programme of events and partial dedicated funding. The Eastern Region held the title in 2024; Gozo holds the title for 2025 under the artistic theme Common Ground. The National Cultural Policy (2021) also lists “a culturally distinctive Gozo” as one of its priorities, supporting infrastructure and funding earmarked for the island. Regional councils continue to operate with modest financial and human resources and rely on central government, EU funds and partnership with national bodies for major projects.

Last update: October, 2026

Malta has 68 local councils — 54 in Malta and 14 in Gozo — established by the Local Government Act (Cap. 363, 1993). Local councils are democratically elected and operate under a unified central framework, with a block grant from central government and limited own-source revenue. Their cultural role has historically been confined to supporting festi, community celebrations, minor heritage maintenance and partnerships with band clubs and cultural NGOs.

The National Cultural Policy (2021) calls for greater devolution of cultural responsibility to local councils, including local-cultural-planning capacity, custodianship of local heritage assets and grassroots cultural-development funding. In practice, this has translated into several developments: targeted funding mechanisms such as  annual cultural schemes administered by the Local Government Division (now under the Ministry for Local Government and Public Works)and Arts Council Malta; expanded guardianship-deed arrangements under the Cultural Heritage Act (Cap. 445) entrusting state-owned sites to local councils or local heritage NGOs subject to oversight by the Superintendence; capacity-building initiatives delivered by Arts Council Malta and the Local Government Division; and participation in the Region of Culture programme described in 1.2.3.

Local councils continue to face structural constraints. The National Audit Office report on the Workings of Local Government 2023 noted councils’ “limited financial resources, mainly the allocation provided by Central Government,” alongside liquidity and reserve pressures; the Council of Europe Congress 2024 monitoring report on Malta flagged limited own-source revenue, dependence on earmarked grants and constraints on managing human and administrative resources. The Congress’s 2025 follow-up noted progress on training and capacity-building for local government. Until June 2026, coordination between national and local levels was facilitated by the co-location of local government and culture within the same ministry. Following the June 2026 general election, local government was transferred to the Ministry for Local Government and Public Works, and coordination now operates across two separate ministries, supported by the Local Councils' Association.

Last update: October, 2026

A diverse non-governmental cultural ecosystem complements the state and arm’s-length sector (see also 2.3). Traditional community-culture organisations include the Għaqda Każini tal-Banda, the national federation of band clubs which represents 91 of Malta’s 92 band clubs; festa and fireworks-factory associations; the Akkademja tal-Malti and Għaqda tal-Malti – Università on the Maltese language; and heritage trusts such as Din l-Art Ħelwa, Wirt Artna and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, which manage historical sites under guardianship deeds or operate as advocacy NGOs on planning and heritage policy.

In contemporary culture, the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA), founded in 2020, is the principal cross-disciplinary sector association representing performers, producers, technicians and other creative workers. The Malta Producers Association,and the Għaqda Każini tal-Banda participate alongside MEIA in ACM’s Sectoral Representative Working Group. The Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, one of Malta’s oldest cultural institutions, combines membership association with exhibition and educational programming.

Cultural NGOs operate within the framework of the Voluntary Organisations Act (Cap. 492, 2007), which requires registration with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations and provides for fiscal exemptions and eligibility for public grants. Cultural NGOs and registered cultural enterprises receive support through ACM’s funding portfolio (see 7.2.3) and may benefit from the 150% tax deduction on corporate donations. Public cultural institutions are encouraged to collaborate with NGOs, both through co-productions and through the heritage guardianship-deed system. Religious organisations — particularly parish-level structures linked to band clubs and the festi — continue to play a role in traditional and community culture, alongside secular NGOs working at the intersection of arts and social inclusion.

Last update: October, 2026

The National Cultural Policy (2021) calls for “strengthen[ing] cross-sectoral policies through an inter-ministerial cultural policy framework.” There is no standing inter-ministerial committee, but cooperation operates on a policy- and project-basis across several axes.

National–local coordination. Prior to the June 2026 general election, the Local Government Division within the culture ministry coordinated with regional and local councils on cultural matters, including the design and implementation of the Regional Cultural Strategies 2022–2027 (see 1.2.3) and the Region of Culture programme. Regular meetings between regional presidents, local-council representatives and Ministry officials underpin this coordination. Following the June 2026 restructuring, this coordination now operates across two separate ministries.

Public–civil society cooperation. ACM’s State of the Arts – Malta National Symposium provided an annual platform for public-sector agencies and independent operators to discuss policy direction (2022-2024). The Sectoral Representative Working Group (SRWG), established in January 2025, brings together sector representatives to advise on policies, measures and initiatives affecting the cultural and creative sectors at national level.

Cross-sector and international integration. Malta Vision 2050 explicitly references cultural heritage and the arts as components of local community development. EU and Council of Europe cultural programmes — Creative Europe, Erasmus+, and Council of Europe heritage instruments — require cross-sector cooperation between cultural authorities, education, environment and planning bodies. The Creative Europe Desk Malta hosted by ACM facilitates participation in these programmes.

Last update: October, 2026

Malta’s public cultural infrastructure is anchored by the network of Public Cultural Organisations established under the Arts Council Malta Act (Cap. 542, 2015) and operating at arm’s length under ACM oversight, alongside Heritage Malta, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Malta Libraries, the National Archives, the Malta Film Commission, PBS Ltd and the Broadcasting Authority (see 1.2.2 for the full institutional map).

The network was initially constituted with seven PCOs and has since expanded to eleven through the addition of KorMalta, Teatru Malta and MICAS, and the 2023 reorganisation of the three performing-arts companies under the National Agency for the Performing Arts (NAPA). Public cultural institutions interact with a substantial private and non-governmental sector — commercial galleries, independent theatres, film production companies, voluntary cultural organisations, band clubs and festa associations — which collectively shape Malta’s cultural offer. Cooperation between public and independent actors is supported through ACM funding schemes (see 7.2.3), guardianship deeds for state heritage sites managed by NGOs, and the 150% tax deduction on corporate donations.

Last update: October, 2026

Table 1: Cultural institutions, by sector and domain

Source(s): Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Heritage Malta, National Statistics Office Malta, Malta Libraries, Broadcasting Authority, and the Spazji Teatrali mapping exercise (Valletta 2018 Foundation, later transferred to Arts Council Malta).

* National Inventory of Cultural Heritage; figures include sites in state, private and ecclesiastical ownership. ** Public-sector figure refers to state-owned archaeological sites managed by Heritage Malta. Private-sector figure refers to state-owned archaeological sites entrusted to private organisations through guardianship deeds; the Superintendence estimates a total of approximately 1,353 archaeological sites across the islands. *** Refers to dedicated public art exhibition halls: MUŻA (operational 2018) and MICAS (operational 2024). **** Number of theatre venues, not theatre companies; 2017 data from the Valletta 2018 Foundation Spazji Teatrali mapping exercise. ***** Spazju Kreattiv at St James Cavalier and the Valletta Design Cluster.

Last update: October, 2026

Public cultural institutions in Malta have undergone substantial expansion and structural reform over the past decade. Total state allocations to culture grew from approximately €27.1 million in 2013 to €138.7 million in the 2026 Financial Estimates — a cumulative nominal increase of roughly 411% — driven by the 2018 European Capital of Culture, capital investment in cultural infrastructure (MUŻA, MICAS, Valletta Design Cluster, Carnival Village), and a sustained rise in recurrent allocations to the PCO network and ACM funding schemes (see 7.1.3 for sectoral breakdown). The National Cultural Policy (2021) emphasises responsible use of expanding resources and calls for enhanced human and technical capacity within institutions.

Institutional restructuring under the Arts Council Malta Act (Cap. 542, 2015) devolved many responsibilities from the Ministry to autonomous PCOs with their own legal personality, reducing direct ministerial micro-management while introducing standardised arrangements on annual plans, public reporting and artistic independence. No major public cultural institution has been transferred to private ownership; the trend has been one of reconfiguration of public entities (the establishment of NAPA in 2023; the transfer of the Malta Film Commission to the culture portfolio in 2024; the establishment of the National Centre for the Maltese Language in 2023; and, following the June 2026 general election, the establishment of the Fondazzjoni għall-Malta Biennale as a separate entity and the transfer of the National Book Council from the education portfolio) rather than divestment.

The June 2026 general election prompted a further reconfiguration of the institutional landscape. The National Book Council, established in 2001 under Subsidiary Legislation 605.12 and historically operating within the education portfolio, was transferred to the Ministry for Arts, Culture and the National Heritage, consolidating books, publishing and literary policy within the culture ministry for the first time. Several new entities were also established under the ministry: the Fondazzjoni għall-Malta Biennale, giving the Malta Biennale a separate legal personality distinct from Heritage Malta; Film Finance Malta Ltd, supporting the financing of audiovisual production; and the De Valette Chamber Orchestra.

Last update: October, 2026

International cultural cooperation is led by the Ministry for Arts, Culture and the National Heritage in coordination with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Ministry administers a Cultural Diplomacy Fund of approximately €200,000 per year (Financial Estimates 2026, LV 5624), supporting bilateral cultural exchanges, showcases and external representation. Arts Council Malta supports international engagement through dedicated funding instruments including the International Cultural Exchanges Scheme, the International Participation Scheme and the Mobility Guarantee Scheme (see 7.2.3). In 2025 and 2026, Arts Council Malta boosted support to international exchange through continued and increased participation in platforms including the Venice Biennale for visual arts, the London Design Biennale, the Gwangju Biennale, Berlin and Cannes film festivals, the London Book Fair, the Tunis Book Fair and the Edinburgh Fringe. National arts organisations like the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra maintain a significant touring programme, and in 2026 Arts Council Malta enabled access to the Eurimages audiovisual programme supported by the Council of Europe.Local-level cultural diplomacy is channelled chiefly through town-twinning programmes administered under the Local Government (Twinning) Regulations (S.L. 363.141), of which the Committee of the Regions Malta profile records 58 active twinning agreements concluded by Maltese local councils, predominantly with Italian and other Mediterranean municipalities.

Malta does not operate a stand-alone national cultural institute on the model of the British Council or Goethe-Institut. The 2011 National Cultural Policy proposed the establishment of a Maltese Cultural Institute to pool resources across the culture, education, tourism and foreign-affairs ministries; this institute has not been established as of May 2026. The Council for Maltese Living Abroad, constituted under the Council for Maltese Living Abroad Act (Cap. 512, 2011) and chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, advises on diaspora cultural affairs and supports Maltese language and heritage outreach among Maltese communities overseas. Arts Council Malta has been a full member of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) network since 2015 and convenes the EUNIC Malta cluster bringing together European cultural institutes and embassies based in Malta.

Foreign cultural institutes maintain an active presence in Malta. The Alliance Française de Malte-Méditerranée, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Valletta, the German-Maltese Circle, and other European institutes deliver language teaching and cultural programming; the British Council scaled back its in-country operations after 2007 but continues partnership-based engagement. Non-European cultural diplomacy is anchored by the China Cultural Centre, which opened in Valletta in 2003 as the first such centre in the Mediterranean, and the Mariam Al-Batool Islamic Cultural Centre. Italy, France and the Council of Europe have funded major heritage restoration and cultural cooperation projects with Malta through bilateral and multilateral instruments.

Since Malta has become a very multicultural reality over the past 20 years, also partly due to its membership of the European Union (EU), many ethnic communities in Malta engage in cultural diplomacy exercises with Maltese institutions and groups, while Maltese entities acknowledge and cooperate with these different cultural representations through economic, social, educational and artistic means.

Bilateral cooperation operates through cultural cooperation agreements (e.g. recently a Malta–Kosovo Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2024 covering arts, heritage management, training and joint projects), film co-production treaties (with Canada since 1997, with China since 2015, and Malta’s participation in the Council of Europe Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (revised, CETS 220)), and ad-hoc state-indemnity arrangements supporting major international art and heritage exhibitions hosted by Heritage Malta and MUŻA, in the absence of a formal State Indemnity Act.

Last update: October, 2026

Since Malta’s accession to the European Union in 2004, EU cultural programmes have been a central instrument of international cultural cooperation. The Creative Europe programme (current cycle 2021–2027) supports Maltese organisations across cooperation, media and cross-sectoral strands; participation is supported nationally by the Creative Europe Desk Malta hosted by ACM. Erasmus+ supports mobility and training exchanges for cultural workers and emerging artists. Malta also contributes to EU-level policy: during its 2017 EU Council Presidency, Malta convened a Presidency conference on cultural diplomacy which fed into the Council Conclusions of 23 May 2017 on an EU strategic approach to international cultural relations, within the framework of Article 167 TFEU on EU cultural cooperation.

Malta has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1965 and is party to the European Cultural Convention since 1966. Heritage is a particular area of engagement: Malta has ratified the Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Granada, 1985) and the revised European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (Valletta, 1992) (Malta hosted the signing of the latter) and joined the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes in 2023. Malta ratified the European Landscape Convention in May 2025 (in force 1 September 2025) after a 25-year interval since signature. Malta held the Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers from May to November 2025, which included cultural-heritage themes alongside democracy and rights priorities. In the audiovisual sector, Malta participates in the European Audiovisual Observatory and acceded to Eurimages in January 2026, widening access to European film co-production support. In March 2026, Malta was among the first nine signatories of the new Council of Europe Convention on the Co-Production of Audiovisual Works in the Form of Series (CETS 230), signed at the Series Mania Forum in Lille. This is the first international legal framework dedicated specifically to independent co-production of television and streaming series, complementing CETS 220 and Malta’s Eurimages membership.

Malta joined UNESCO in 1965 and is party to the World Heritage Convention (1972) (three inscribed properties), the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ratified 2021), the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ratified 2017), and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (acceded 18 December 2006, entry into force 18 March 2007). Malta’s UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscriptions include the art of the Maltese Ftira (2020), Għana, Maltese folk music (2021), and a further inscription in 2024 reflecting renewed policy attention to living traditions. Malta is also a member of ICCROM and the Anna Lindh Foundation network and hosted the foundation’s MED Forum in Valletta in 2016. The Maltese National Commission for UNESCO coordinates national implementation across the conventions.

At EU level, the European Media Freedom Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/900), the EU's principal instrument on media pluralism and editorial independence, became fully applicable in August 2025. Malta published implementing measures through Legal Notice 175 of 2025 (see 2.5.3 for detail on implementation and international assessments).

In 2026 Arts Council Malta strengthened its presence in the European Network of Cultural Centres (ENCC) by joining its board of governors.

Malta is engaged in additional regional initiatives including the Italy–Malta Interreg programme supporting cross-border heritage and arts projects, the CHORAL cultural-heritage cooperation project led by Heritage Malta, and participation in international heritage and arts networks (ICOMOS, IETM). The country is not part of a language-based cooperation area such as La Francophonie, but participates in cultural exchange and professional-skills programmes through Commonwealth frameworks as well as its cultural platforms.

Last update: October, 2026

Direct professional cooperation between Maltese cultural operators and international counterparts has expanded across the performing arts, music, visual arts and audiovisual sectors. Cooperation typically takes the form of co-productions, touring, exhibition loans, curated exchanges, residencies and presence at international professional platforms.

In the performing arts, Teatru Malta launched its Autumn/Winter 2023–24 programme from Opole, Poland, marking its first international theatrical co-production (The Best European Show). Independent companies access international circulation through ACM’s International Cultural Exchanges Scheme and International Participation Scheme (see 7.2.3), supporting touring, festival participation and presentation at trade fairs. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra has built international visibility through European tours — including 2022 performances at the Berliner Philharmonie and Vienna’s Musikverein — and was invited to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto in 2025 with the opera Hadrian. The Orchestra also operates a regular international guest-artist programme.

In the visual arts, MICAS opened its inaugural programme in October 2024 with an exhibition by the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos and has since established partnerships with international institutions for its 2024–26 programme. Heritage Malta and MUŻA participate in international loan exchanges, including loans to and from major European institutions: a 2025 exhibition at Palais Lascaris in Nice featured artefacts from Malta’s national collections of the Order of St John, and MUŻA contributed a Vittore Carpaccio drawing to a 2022–23 joint exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Doge’s Palace in Venice. The Malta Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale is curated through a competitive open call commissioned by Arts Council Malta.

In the audiovisual sector, Malta Film Commission and producers benefit from the film co-production treaty network described in 1.4.1, and Malta is a regular host of international productions under the film cash-rebate scheme. Malta’s accession to Eurimages in January 2026 widens access to European co-production support. The Mediterrane Film Festival operates as a state-led international showcase, programmed annually since 2024.

In literature and publishing, the National Book Council supports international cooperation through translation grants, fellowships at international book fairs (Frankfurt, Bologna, Sharjah, Beijing), and the Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb which includes a translation category. In creative-entrepreneurship training, the CASE Malta Programme (Creative and Social Entrepreneurship) launched by Arts Council Malta in 2024–25 in partnership with the international NGO In Place of War and the University of Manchester delivers certified training and mentorship to Malta-based creative practitioners. Higher-education partnerships, particularly through the University of Malta, and Maltese participation in the Anna Lindh Foundation network sustain professional and academic exchange across the Euro-Mediterranean. These initiatives support many other capacity-oriented programmes run by state agencies in favour of civil society such as the apprenticeship schemes, the investments in cultural organisations and the Creative Innovators and Platforms Fund run by Arts Council Malta.