Flagship Firm

The European Union has agreed on a major legislative reform to Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, introducing significant changes to air passenger rights across the EU. Set to enter force in August 2027, the reform strengthens existing protections while introducing new obligations for airlines, including proactive notification duties, enhanced rerouting requirements, and expanded protections for passengers with reduced mobility.

Transport Malta's Merchant Shipping Directorate has introduced revised seaworthiness assessment guidelines through Merchant Shipping Notice 127 Rev. 3, implementing stricter requirements for vessel age limits...

A merchant vessel both at the time that is being registered as a Maltese ship and during the period of its registration under the Malta flag must be classed with a classification society...

The Malta ship register becomes the sixth largest worldwide, whilst remaining the largest in Europe.

The Maltese First Hall of the Civil Court has delivered a significant judgment affirming its in rem jurisdiction over an abandoned yacht, establishing that maritime service providers can pursue claims directly against vessels for unpaid storage and maintenance fees. The case clarifies the practical application of Article 742B of Malta's Code of Organization and Civil Procedure, demonstrating how courts can enforce payment...

Article 83bis of the Chicago Convention enables aircraft registered in one state to be operated by an entity in another state through formal agreements that transfer regulatory responsibilities. Malta's unique aircraft operator registry system allows non-Maltese operators to register aircraft while maintaining Malta's security framework and Cape Town Convention protections for lessors and financiers.

The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) Rules transposed the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) into Maltese local legislation, setting out the minimum standards for seafarers.

All you need to know about the benefits of a Maltese Flag: tonnage tax regime, no other income tax, shipping companies, VAT benefits and how companies and shipowners in other countries can use the benefits in a cooperation.

The Malta Commercial Yacht Code (CYC) 2025 (the "Code"), which supersedes its predecessor, the CYC 2020, entered into force on 1 July 2025 and constitutes...

The International Maritime Organization has confirmed that the HNS Convention, governing liability and compensation for damage from hazardous cargo transport by sea, will enter force on 29 November 2027. After nearly three decades of delays, this creates immediate compliance obligations for Malta's ship registry and the global maritime industry, requiring new insurance certificates, reporting systems, and a two-tier compensation framework backed by both shipowners and cargo receivers.

Malta has published Legal Notice 238 of 2026, establishing the national regulatory framework for the EU's Cyber Resilience Act and designating the Malta Digital Innovation Authority as the central enforcement body. With vulnerability reporting obligations already in effect since September 11, 2026, manufacturers of digital products must now navigate new compliance requirements ahead of the regulation's full application in December 2027.

The EU's proposed third Payment Services Directive ("PSD3"), together with the accompanying Payment Services Regulation ("PSR"), represents a fundamental shift in the legal architecture governing fraud liability in payment...

Malta's citizenship-by-investment programme has raised over €1 billion in capital since its launch about 18 months ago and it is the world's most successful programme of its kind, Henley and Partners, the main operator of the programme said today.

As part of the European Union's Green Deal and its objective for fostering an environmentally sustainable circular economy, on the 13th of June 2024, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Directive (EU) 2024/1799 on common rules.

Malta has been ranked as the seventh safest small country in the world and 15th overall in a new study by US data analysis firm Value Penguin.

Maltese legal practice employs three distinct instruments—legal letters, judicial letters, and sworn judicial letters under Article 166A—each serving different purposes and producing different legal effects. Understanding when to use each instrument requires careful assessment of the claim's nature, value, and whether formal court proceedings or executive enforcement is necessary. The choice between these tools can determine whether a creditor obtains an executive title without litigation or mus

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Malta’s Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Rating at ‘A’. The outlooks is stable.

A report by Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal providing expert analysis on key areas of Maltese law, practice and regulation in the booming real estate segment of the island's economy appears...

A merchant vessel both at the time that is being registered as a Maltese ship and during the period of its registration under the Malta flag must be classed with a classification society...

In a January 2013 decision, the ECJ held that the exit tax on unrealized gains on companies and entities redomiciling from the Netherlands is in breach of the freedom of establishment.