The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) welcomes the recognition that Malta’s publishing sector requires support in the face of rising production costs. However, the recently announced €50,000 Subsidy Scheme for Printed Books raises serious concerns regarding both its adequacy and the process through which it was developed.

For the past year, MEIA has consistently advocated for direct support mechanisms for publishers, particularly in response to the unprecedented increase in paper and printing costs that have placed significant strain on the local publishing ecosystem. The need for a paper subsidy was formally included in MEIA’s Budget Recommendations and raised directly during consultations with the Government, including discussions held with the Office of the Prime Minister as part of the national budget process.

Following these discussions, public statements were made suggesting that the National Book Council was already providing sufficient support to publishers. MEIA immediately challenged these claims through formal correspondence to the Office of the Prime Minister, presenting evidence and industry statistics demonstrating the reality faced by publishers, including the substantial increase in paper costs and the absence of targeted support addressing these operational burdens.

MEIA also highlighted a clear discrepancy in public funds distributed. While newspapers and media portals have benefitted from support mechanisms aimed at mitigating operational costs and safeguarding the sustainability of their sectors, book publishers have largely remained excluded from comparable measures despite facing similar pressures linked to material and production expenses.

It later emerged that a €50,000 subsidy fund had been established. While any form of support is welcome, serious questions remain regarding how this figure was determined, on what basis it was calculated, and why no consultation was undertaken with publishers, industry stakeholders, or representative bodies throughout the process.

The publishing sector is not asking merely for symbolic gestures. It requires policies that are informed by the realities of those operating within the industry and developed through meaningful dialogue. Decisions affecting an entire sector cannot continue to be designed without those directly impacted being at the table.

During discussions with the National Book Council, concerns regarding the scale and structure of the fund were raised. MEIA expressed the need for consultation and review to ensure the measure could achieve meaningful impact. However, the response given was that consultation should not delay implementation for another year and that the scheme should instead be tested in its current form.

This approach reflects a wider pattern that continues to hinder the development of Malta’s cultural and creative sectors. Too often, policies are introduced without sufficient consultation, research, or sectoral engagement. Stakeholders are then left to spend years demonstrating the shortcomings of these measures before meaningful reform is eventually undertaken.

The experience surrounding the implementation of the 7% tax incentive for creatives serves as a clear example. It took years of advocacy, evidence gathering, and sectoral pressure before amendments were introduced that began to make the measure more effective and impactful. The lesson should have been learned: policies work best when they are developed correctly from the outset, not after years of proving their deficiencies.

The publishing industry forms an essential part of Malta’s cultural infrastructure. Publishers play a critical role in supporting authors, preserving language and heritage, developing audiences, and ensuring the circulation of Maltese literature locally and internationally. Support for the sector must therefore be treated as a strategic cultural investment rather than a temporary or symbolic intervention.

MEIA remains committed to working constructively with the Government, the National Book Council, and all relevant stakeholders to develop measures that genuinely address the realities faced by publishers and strengthen the long-term sustainability of Malta’s literary ecosystem. We reiterate our call for transparent consultation processes, evidence-based policymaking, and support mechanisms that reflect the true needs of the sector.

The publishing community deserves solutions that create impact, not measures that will require years of advocacy before their limitations are acknowledged.