Ivan Camilleri
Brussels downgrades Malta office
The European Commission has downgraded the post of Head of Representation to Malta by offering a middle-management post to the person that will succeed Joanna Drake.
Until a few months ago, the post carried a much higher grade in the EU’s hierarchy.
After manning the office in St Paul Street, Valletta, with a temporary official from Brussels for the past eight months, the Commission has now issued a call to recruit a Head of Representation for its Malta office.
The new call, which closes next month, offers a temporary job for five years at level AD 9, a middle-management post, instead of AD 12, a senior-management post and the norm for such posts.
In 2004, when Malta’s Head of Representation was recruited for the first time just after the country became an EU member, the post had a rank of AD 12, which means the occupant is better off by €40,000 per year.
The post of Head of Representation is normally held by a citizen of the member state involved, and in Malta’s case the call makes it clear that the vacancy should be filled by someone who can communicate effectively in the Maltese language.
According to EU sources, the latest call by the Commission directly “snubs” the Malta post and its status in the hierarchy.
“This is a clear signal that the Commission does not feel that its representation in Malta is important,” the sources said.
“All the Commission’s representation offices in the other EU member states are manned by much higher grades, sometimes even by directors and deputy director generals. It seems that Malta is being treated as a second class member state,” the sources said.
The office in Cyprus, which is often compared to Malta in terms of size and population, is headed by a former Commission director, a post five grades higher than the one being offered for Malta.
Heads of representative offices in the other member states also include Commission officials who have occupied the posts of deputy director general, the second most important job in the Commission hierarchy.
It is not yet known whether the Maltese government will protest to the Commission about the downgrade although this newspaper is informed that government officials have already complained informally.
A spokesman for the Commission said he was not yet able to provide an answer since many of the Commission’s services are currently on shutdown due to the August holidays.
The call for Malta’s Head of Representation was first made internally by the Commission earlier this year in an attempt to find a candidate from existing EU staff to fill the post.
Only five candidates, mostly Maltese, had applied but none were found to be fit for the job despite the fact that some of them were involved with the Malta-EU information campaign before the 2003 referendum on membership.
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Walter Grima
Aug 22nd 2010, 18:18
Well my Maltese friends YOU MADE YOUR BED NOW LIE ON IT. Have fun from Down Under.
Charles.C.Brown
Aug 22nd 2010, 16:04
well seven years ago you had a choice ,either partnership or full membership you chose the latter , you made your bed now youve got to lay in it!!! no going back now and dont expect Libya to help you out . and to all those who voted for the EU, I say some future you brought on Malta your children and your childrens children.
John Azzopardi
Aug 22nd 2010, 18:50
Mr Brown, why would we want to be associated with Libya. WE are Europeans and not arabs first of all. Second, we did vote for the EU but not to be second fiddle. I am sure all our lawyers will find a way so that we can be treated equally. Or our opposition will one day make sure we will as they will start threatening to leave the EU altogether.
lgalea
Aug 22nd 2010, 23:20
Charles.C.Brown some were dazzled by the eu stars and by the lies and treachery perpetrated by the petty dictator Gunter Verheugen and the eu local quislings, but that doesn't mean that we cannot leave. The people were at first being told that we cannot leave and then when it became clear that we can leave whenever we want they started telling them that it's not in our interests to leave. But people have now become accustomed to politicians that when they say it's not in our interests to leave they are saying it for themselves and their children and not for the rest of the people. So the people are now becoming wise to the fact that we can leave. Go see the European Parliament video at http://www.europarltv.europa.eu/YourParliament.aspx?action=viewVideo&packageid=f5077c6b-3b92-4a1f-8271-c7a49c3bc6e8
l fenech
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:26
L-importanti li dhalna fl'EU u sirna parti mill-Europa jew apparti mill-Europa?
John Azzopardi
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:31
Wrong Mr Fenech. THe important thing is not that we joined Europe to be a second fiddle. AS a country, we should have full rights and representation like all other europeans and not play second fiddle. Got it.
lgalea
Aug 22nd 2010, 10:54
This is another slap in the face by the eu petty dictators. Are the Mltese citizens going to continue being subservient to these crap eu colonialist petty dictators? Let's get out as we can and have every right and duty to do for ourselves, our children and our dear country. http://www.europarltv.europa.eu/YourParliament.aspx?action=viewVideo&packageid=f5077c6b-3b92-4a1f-8271-c7a49c3bc6e8
Robert Scullion
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:40
I suppose the best way to leave would be to vote on it .. oh wait the country has 3 times and voted for pro-EU parties. Still better luck next time .. oh wait you've already admitted you're gonna vote for PL which is a pro-EU party. Still maybe the time after that I guess eh!
lgalea
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:00
Patience Robert Scullion, patience. When the time comes you shall see whether we shall leave or not from the crap eu colonialist dictatorship.
Robert Scullion
Aug 22nd 2010, 14:15
Can't you even give a timescale now? Things must be bad in the euro-septic camp when all you can say is 'Patience'.
Still must be hard losing every election since the referendum to pro-EU parties.
lgalea
Aug 22nd 2010, 23:14
Robert Scullion fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. Eurosceptics have their country and citizens at heart unlike the obsequious europhiles who are lackeys to the eu crap petty colonialist dictators. The fact that you keep answering me comments at every opportunity means that my comments are true for as they say truth hurts scullion and it's hurting you and your eurocrap ego. Do you now deny that a country can leave the crap eu scullion? Go see the European Parliament video at http://www.europarltv.europa.eu/YourParliament.aspx?action=viewVideo&packageid=f5077c6b-3b92-4a1f-8271-c7a49c3bc6e8. As I always say, I am a Galea not a scullion.
Robert Scullion
Aug 25th 2010, 00:05
I believe any country that democratically votes to leave the EU can do so. I also believe that any country that democratically votes to join the EU can join.
Still if you think you can get the country to leave then go ahead and organise a referendum. When you do you'll be able to join that other great wealthy nation that left the EU - Greenland. Oh yeah, Greenland isn't actually a country, its just a dependency of Denmark.
Judging by the way you speak, I would've thought hundreds of countries had left the EU, and here we are over 50 years after the EU was formed, and there hasn't even been 1.
joe scerri
Aug 22nd 2010, 10:17
"It seems that Malta is being treated as a second class member state,” the sources said.
Perhaps it is because we are a second class (at best) country.