Drake set to migrate to Brussels

Malta's first European Commission representative Joanna Drake is expected to move on to Brussels in the coming months, The Sunday Times has learnt.

Dr Drake, a prominent EU figure for several years following her role in the Iva Movement and as a former Nationalist MEP candidate in the 2004 elections, has passed an internal exam making her eligible to start a new career as a top functionaire of the EU's civil service.

The concours examination was held a few months before the end of the current Commission's five-year mandate and was only open to candidates who were already part of the EU's civil service, both on a full-time or a temporary contract.

Dr Drake assumed the post of head of the Commission's representation in Malta in 2005 but has been involved in EU affairs since the beginning of her career.

Apart from specialising in EU affairs in her legal studies, she also worked at Malta's embassy to the EU in Brussels for several years and lectured EU law on a full-time basis at the University of Malta. She narrowly missed out on a seat in the 2004 EP elections.

Dr Drake is not the only successful Maltese candidate for this highly-sought after position which comes with a net €10,000 monthly salary among other perks. Another two Maltese candidates, Iain Formosa who is a junior head of unit at the EU's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, northern Italy, and Raymond Pisani, another Brussels-based Maltese EU official, also made the grade.

Until now, Malta was the least represented member state when it comes to senior EU posts. However, following the last internal selection the situation has improved.

Still, Malta remains absent from the topmost positions in the EU's bureaucratic hierarchy as no Maltese citizen has so far been appointed to the position of Director General or Deputy Director General despite the fact the EU has reserved one of these posts specifically for a Maltese national.

Although various top Maltese officials, including ambassadors and senior civil servants have applied for these posts in the past five years, none was considered suitable by the Commission. Instead, these posts have been occupied by candidates from other new EU member states.