Delegation for talks on European court nominees

A government delegation, possibly headed by Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, is expected to travel to Strasbourg to discuss Malta's nominees for the post of judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

A spokesman for the Justice Ministry confirmed government officials were "invited to discuss the matter", although Malta has not been informed that the list has been rejected due to the absence of a female nominee.

The trip is expected to take place in April and it is understood the invitation came from the Council of Europe presidency.

Last week, The Times reported that Malta's decision to nominate just men for the post was to be investigated by the Council of Europe's sub-committee for the nomination of judges.

Malta's list of nominees - Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano, Mr Justice Joseph Camilleri and Mr Justice Joseph Filletti - was submitted in 2006 but rejected a year later by the Council of Europe because the government had failed to comply with the requirement to nominate a woman.

A motion by the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliamentary Assembly proposing the one-sex shortlists could be accepted in exceptional cases was rejected by the assembly's Equal Opportunities Committee two months later.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici had defended the list of nominees, saying he believed it was in accordance with the European Convention.

Last week, Luxembourgian parliamentarian Lydie Err, a member of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women and a member of the sub-committee, said a single-sex list could only be accepted as an exception if it was proven there was strictly no possibility to nominate a woman.