Diplomats both at the Foreign Office in Malta and in embassies across the globe have been instructed in writing to stop using the logo of Malta’s EU presidency in their correspondence, the Times of Malta is informed.

Questions sent to the Foreign Affairs Ministry on why the instructions were issued remain unanswered despite reminders.

Senior government officials, insisting on anonymity, spoke of a “rift” between the Foreign Ministry and the Parliamentary Secretariat for the EU Presidency.

After months using the EU presidency logo in their correspondence with officials within the EU and beyond, all Foreign Ministry diplomats were instructed by a top ministry official “not to use presidency e-mail signature anymore but to revert to government corporate signature”.

All diplomats are to revert to government corporate signature

Saying the measure applied also to all Foreign Ministry missions abroad, the circular also added that “all staff members are to be informed at the earliest to remove the presidency signature”.

Despite being the Foreign Minister – normally considered the second most important government official in EU states – George Vella is among the few Cabinet ministers not assigned to chair council formation meetings during Malta’s presidency of the European Council.

Though Minister Within the Office of the Prime Minister Konrad Mizzi is representing the Prime Minister on the Energy Council, Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech and EU Presidency Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg replaced Dr Vella. It is the Foreign Minister who would normally co-chair the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council with High Representative Federica Mogherini when a country holds the rotating presidency.

The government officials said the latest decision was no surprise, “because the rift between the secretariats of Dr Borg and Dr Vella is very well known”. They recalled that the Prime Minister had at the outset decided all matters related to the EU would not form part of the Foreign Office. “You can imagine what else the Maltese Foreign Ministry is left with if you exclude Malta’s relations with the EU,” an official said. “With the latest decision, though petty, it has become very clear that the EU Presidency Parliamentary Secretariat does not want the Foreign Office to get any sort of credit for Malta’s stint at the helm of the EU,” he added.

Seasoned Labour politician Dr Vella, said he will retire from politics at the end of this legislature.