Notices published in Government Gazette No. 21,490 of 19th August 2025

Installation of Lifts in Residential Blocks/Entrances Owned by or Purchased from the Government

With reference to Scheme Installation of Lifts in Government Owned Residential Blocks/Entrances published in the Government Gazette of the 13th March, 2012, the Housing Authority wishes to effect the following amendments:

(a) Amend Clause 1 to read as follows:

​1. Purpose of the Scheme

The aim of the Housing Authority is to, where it is physically possible, install lifts in Government owned residential blocks or blocks purchased from the Government.

The Housing Authority therefore receives applications for the installation of lifts in apartment blocks/entrances in Malta and Gozo and occupied by tenants recognised by the Government as well as by owners who acquired the residence under any scheme where the Housing Authority encouraged tenants to become homeowners. The blocks/entrances may be:

a) absolute property of the Government or the Government may be the co-owner of the apartments together with residents who have purchased their apartment from the Housing Authority or from third parties;

​b) property occupied by owners who acquired the residence under any scheme where the Housing Authority encouraged tenants to become homeowners.

In case of building having different entrances or doors that are distinct and independent from each other and where more than one lift would be necessary, separate applications need to be submitted for each lift.

(b) Adds the following to Clause 2:

“owners" means persons who acquired their residence under a scheme where the Housing Authority encouraged tenants to become homeowners.

(c) Emend Clause 4 to read as follows:

4. Qualification for Assistance under this scheme

​Lifts will be installed under the following conditions:

(a) At least one of the applicants or his/her relative that lives in the building must be disabled or have severe mobility issues, which disability or mobility issues must be confirmed by an Occupational Therapist (OT) appointed by the Housing Authority;

(b) The block/entrance must be at least three storeys high from road level;

(c) The block/entrance must be planned in such a manner that a lift installed is accessible to all the apartments and can be installed with the least structural alterations possible. For example, lifts can be placed at common entrances whilst maintaining a staircase wide enough of an adequate measurement. The Housing Authority establishes this measurement;

(d) The necessary permits must to be obtained from the Planning Authority (PA), from the Lands Authority, as well as third parties whose consent is necessary in order to carry out the necessary works and alterations;

(e) On the date of application, a Residents' Association must have been appointed and registered in accordance with the legal requirements, with a designated representative to take care of the maintenance, repairs and payments referred to in article 8;

​(f) All residents of the block must agree to participate in the scheme, with participation being subject to a special hypothec in the case of owners, reflecting the pro rata amount per apartment of the costs of the lift project.

(d) Amend Clause 9 sub clause (ii) to read as follows:

(ii)  The prescribed forms can be collected from the offices of the Housing Authority, 22, Pietro Floriani Street, Floriana, Malta, and from the Housing Authority branch Office 5, Level 3, 74, George Borg Olivier Street, Victoria, Gozo, or from the Housing Authority website.

(e) Amend Clause 12 to read as follows:

12. Priority System

Each application that qualifies under this scheme shall be given priority by the Occupational Therapist (OT) engaged by the Housing Authority according to the severity of the disability and the urgent need to install the lift in the block. The installation of the lift will be carried out by the Housing Authority based on a programme designed according to such priority.

Financial Assistance for Land Farmers to ensure irrigation water supply during summer

The Agriculture and Rural Payments Agency (ARPA), within the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Rights (MAFA), is launching an aid scheme for land farmers to ensure the supply of water for irrigation on their irrigated fields during the summer months, and who have to resort to procuring water for irrigation through bowsers.

Eligibility Conditions

In order for farmers to be eligible for support, they must:

be active land farmers registered with the Agricultural and Rural Payments Agency (ARPA);

must have been beneficiaries of the Areas with Natural Constraints (ANC) in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2115/2021 during claim year 2024;

be farmers classified under Category 2 or higher in the categorisation of farmers as stipulated by the Categorisation of Farmers Regulation (Subsidiary Legislation 639.10);

make use of irrigation water on their irrigated fields through water purchased from bowsers;

must have procured a minimum volume of water per Category, as shown in the Table of Maximum Compensation Amounts and Minimum Amount of Water provided for each Category hereunder between 1st June and 30th September, 2025;

must have procured water from water bowser suppliers licenced by the Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS); and

must provide fiscally valid fiscal receipts, dated between 1st June and 30th September, 2025, and indicating the volume of water procured in cubic metres.

Applicants must submit a detailed crop plan covering the parcels for which support is being requested. This crop plan should include the type of crops cultivated and sowing/planting dates during the summer months. The crop plan will form part of the application package and will be used to verify the appropriateness of the aid request.

​Parcels committed under the Agri-Environmental Climate Commitment (AECC) 5, which requires the maintenance of parcels in fallow condition during the summer period, shall be excluded from eligibility under this Scheme.

Payment Calculation

The proposed scheme uses a simplified cost option based on the categorisation of farmers. Aid intensity varies across categories and is designed to compensate for irrigation water delivered via bowsers. Farmers can qualify for grants based on their water use and their category. If they meet the minimum amount of water provided for their category, they can receive the corresponding aid, as shown in the table below:

Table ofMaximum Compensation Amountsand Minimum Amount of Water provided for each Category

​Farmers who do not meet the requirements for their category may still be eligible for a grant in a lower category, provided that they meet that lower threshold. However, no farmer may receive aid intended for a higher category than the one for which they qualify.

ARPA reserves the right to adjust the amounts of compensation according to the available budget.

The Application Process

Interested farmers should visit one of the ARPA front offices to complete the application to express their interest, declare that they comply with the eligibility conditions, complete the de minimis aid declaration, and provide a crop plan. Fiscally valid fiscal receipts for water supplied, dated between 1st June and 30th September, 2025, will not be requested at this stage.

Once the verifications on the applications are made, ARPA will again issue a call for the submission of fiscal receipts or contact eligible farmers to provide them within a set deadline.

Call for Applications

Applications must be received between 12th August and 26th September, 2025, at one of the following offices:

ARPA Front Office: Pitkali Markets, Ta' Qali, l/o Ħ'Attard, from Monday to Friday from 7.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.; or

Gozo Front Office: Government Experimental Farm, Triq l-Imġarr, Xewkija, from Monday to Friday, from 7.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

For more information one may:

Access the detailed guidance notes available on the Agency's website (https://arpa.gov.mt/),

Call ARPA's Front Office on 2292 6148 (Malta),

Send an email to (arpa.mafa@gov.mt).

Notification of Concentration

In terms of regulation 5(4) of the Control of Concentrations Regulations, 2002 published in Legal Notice 294 of 2002, the Director General of the Office for Competition notifies for general information that a notification of a concentration between optus 1011. GmbH, Germany (Frankfurt, Germany) and Wolters Kluwer International Holding B.V. (Alphen Aan Den Rijn, the Netherlands) was filed on Friday, 8th August, 2025.

The nature of the concentration is the acquisition of sole control of the global Finance, Risk and Regulatory Reporting business of Wolters Kluwer International Holding B.V. by optus 1011. GmbH, Germany.

Optus 1011. GmbH is a special purpose vehicle ultimately controlled by the private equity investment firm Nordic Capital ('Nordic Capital' refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures, and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital's entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as 'Nordic Capital Advisors'). Nordic Capital focuses on the Healthcare, Technology and Payments, Financial Services, and Service and Industrial Tech sectors. Key regions are Europe and globally for healthcare and technology and payments investments. 

Wolters Kluwer is a global provider of professional information, software solutions, and services, operating in the Health, Tax and Accounting, Corporate Performance & ESG, Financial and Corporate Compliance, and Legal & Regulatory sectors. Its global Finance, Risk and Regulatory Reporting business is made up of 16 legal entities as well as certain assets globally and offers specialised software solutions for companies and organisations with a focus on financial services, accounting, and regulatory reporting.

The Director General of the Office for Competition invites interested third parties to submit their written objections on this notified concentration within seven days following publication of this notice at the following address:

Malta Competition and Consumer

Affairs Authority

Office for Competition

Mizzi House

Triq Nazzjonali

Blata l-Bajda HMR 9010

Malta

or (competition@mccaa.org.mt)

Edexcel London October/November 2025 Examinations Very Late Registrations

The Director of Examinations notifies candidates that online very late applications will be accepted for Edexcel London October/November 2025 Examinations from Friday, 22nd August, 2025 till Monday, 25th August, 2025 (both dates included) by logging in on (www.myexams.gov.mt).

Tenders awarded lists Gaz 19.8.pdf​