Lobbying starts for €16,000-a-month Brussels job

Intense lobbying has started among several senior Maltese government officials to land a lucrative €192,000-a-year job with one of the European Commission's Directorates General.

A Maltese national is expected to occupy at least one of four vacant Commission posts specifically intended for citizens from Latvia, Lithuania and Malta.

Former and serving ambassadors are among those lobbying the government and top EU officials in Brussels for the post of deputy director general, which comes with a starting salary of €192,000 a year together with benefits and perks.

The Commission's decision to limit these posts to a handful of nationalities from among its 27 member states is to ensure a balance among its top officials.

No citizens of Malta, Lithuania and Latvia occupy the two highest posts in the Commission's hierarchy - that of director general and deputy director general.

The most senior post secured by a Maltese citizen so far is that of director. Joanna Drake took up the appointment after serving as the Commission's head of delegation to Malta.

The vacant posts are in the DGs responsible for Competition, Internal Market, Regional Policy and Health and Consumer Affairs, the latter being under the direct responsibility of Maltese Commissioner John Dalli.

A spokesman for the Commission told The Sunday Times that Commission staff regulations do not preclude the possibility of a Maltese deputy director general working in a DG whose commissioner is also a Maltese citizen. The rule of different nationalities between the commissioner and his subordinates only applies in the case of directors general.

However, sources close to the Commission said the possibility of Mr Dalli having a Maltese deputy director general was unlikely.

"Mr Dalli will be definitely involved, though informally, in the choice of the Maltese person who will occupy this high post. He will surely try to exert influence as all commissioners do. However, what is likely to happen is that commissioners trade among them who is going to occupy which post," one senior EU official said.

No Maltese has so far managed to occupy one of these senior posts since other nationals were always preferred.

"Many senior Maltese officers occupying important posts such as permanent secretaries, ambassadors and even a current sitting Labour MEP have all failed to secure a final nomination. The closest person to get to this job was a current ambassador, who was vetoed at the last hurdle directly by a commissioner," one source said.

Though not specified in the official call for applications, EU officials said the chosen Maltese applicant would need much more than experience and qualifications to land the post.

"A deputy director general is a very senior post and no one will get it without the political backing of his own government and that of his country's commissioner. So the individual must be close to both the Maltese government and to Mr Dalli," a senior EU official said.

Applications will be received until June 26, following which the selection process, based primarily on an interview, will begin.