How do I enforce a Maltese court judgment against someone who moved abroad?

A Maltese court judgment does not become unenforceable simply because the debtor has relocated to another EU member state; rather, cross-border enforcement of civil and commercial judgments within the EU is generally governed by the Brussels I Recast Regulation (EU Regulation 1215/2012), which provides a streamlined framework allowing a judgment obtained in one EU member state, such as Malta, to be recognised and enforced in another member state without needing to relitigate the underlying dispute, subject to certain procedural formalities and limited grounds for refusal. In practice, you would generally need to obtain the required certificate confirming the judgment and its enforceability from the Maltese court, and then follow the enforcement procedures of the country where the debtor now resides and holds assets, since actual enforcement steps, such as seizing assets or garnishing income, are carried out under the local procedural law of that country even though the underlying judgment itself is recognised under the EU framework. Given that this involves coordinating enforcement across two different legal systems, it would be advisable to engage a lawyer, potentially one with a cross-border network or connections in the country the debtor has relocated to, to properly navigate the recognition and enforcement process.