National Order of Merit

MLT001 Ordni Nazzjonali tal-Meritu

Order instituted in 1990.
Order awarded to Maltese citizens who distinguish themselves in different fields of endeavour and foreign nationals who have distinguished themselves by their service in the promotion and fostering of international relations, or who have earned the respect and gratitude of the people of the Maltese Islands.
Order awarded in four grades.
The badge is an eight-pointed white-enameled Maltese cross, covered in its center with the coat of arms of Malta and its a mural crown, surrounded with a green-enameled crown of laurel. The star is the same Maltese cross as the badge, the whole resting on an eight-points silver ray star. The ribbon of the Order is blue with a central red stripe.