The Budget for 2016 is set to be given the green light by Parliament after the European Commission said it conformed to EU rules.
The Budget debate ended in Parliament nearly two weeks ago but the votes were put off pending the green light by the EU.
The Commission pointed at Italy, Lithuania, Austria and Spain as being at risk of breaking European Union rules with their 2016 budget plans while France might also not meet some of the fiscal targets set out by EU finance ministers.
In a reaction, the Maltese government welcomed the European Commission’s assessment .
"The European Commission is of the opinion that Malta’s growth rate of government expenditure is line with the applicable expenditure benchmark. Furthermore, Malta’s decreasing debt ratio is also expected to meet the EU debt rule," the Finance Ministry said.
"The Commission expressed its satisfaction with Malta’s fiscal efforts and is positive about Malta’s ability to reach its fiscal targets. According to the Commission, the deficit is expected to fall to 1.7% in 2015 and to 1.2% in 2016. The Commission is expecting the debt ratio to fall to 65.2% in 2015 and to 63.2% in 2016. These are in line with the targets projected by Malta."
Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said: “The government has every reason to be delighted that its 2016 Budget is compliant, as are its expenditure, deficit and debt trajectories.”
The Commission, the EU executive arm, checks draft budget plans of euro zone countries every year to see if they are in line with the Stability and Growth Pact, which sets rules for EU budgets.
The rules say a government has to keep the headline budget shortfall below 3 percent of GDP and strive to balance its books in structural terms - excluding one-off revenues and spending and the effects of the business cycle.
To be in line with the rules, each year governments must reduce their structural deficit by at least 0.5 percent of GDP until they are close to balance or in surplus.
The Commission pointed the finger this year at Italy, Lithuania, Austria and Spain.
"The draft budgetary plans of these countries might result in a significant deviation from the adjustment paths towards the medium-term objective," its said.
France's 2016 draft budget was broadly compliant, the Commission said, because the headline deficit was as required.
But France is under a disciplinary EU process, called the excessive deficit procedure, for having a budget gap higher than 3 percent of GDP. EU finance ministers set annual fiscal consolidation targets for countries under this procedure.
The Commission said Paris was at risk of missing these targets.
"In the case of France, while the recommended headline deficit target is projected to be met in 2016, the (draft budget) contains risks as regards compliance ... as the fiscal effort is projected to fall significantly short of the recommended level, according to all metrics," the Commission said.
It said that it asked the French authorities to take the "necessary measures within the national budgetary process" so that the 2016 budget is in line with EU rules.
Without changes in current policies, France is also expected to have a deficit above the 3 percent limit in 2017, in breach of agreed targets, the Commission estimated.
Brussels' analysis of France's budget was carried out before the Paris attacks of last weekend.
Spain, which faces elections in December, was in bigger trouble.
"The draft budget plan... was found to pose a risk of non-compliance with the requirements for 2016. In particular, neither the recommended fiscal effort nor the headline deficit target for 2016 is forecast to be achieved," the Commission said confirming an opinion issued in October.
It said it had asked Madrid to make sure the budget would comply with EU rules and asked for a updated draft as soon as possible.
Italy's draft budget plan is also at risk of non-compliance with EU fiscal rules, the Commission said in a statement, urging Italy to take "the necessary measures within the national budgetary process to ensure that the 2016 budget will be compliant".
The Commission will decide in May whether Italy can be granted some budget leeway for investments and structural reforms.
It also said that the budget costs of the migrant crisis would be treated as an exceptional circumstance and not counted into the deficit calculations, but concessions will be made only after actual expenses are properly assessed.