Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia may be joining the official Maltese delegation at the Eurovision Song Contest in the Danish capital Copenhagen for the second year running.
A ministry spokeswoman yesterday evening told Times of Malta that no final decision had yet been taken.
“We are still finalising the agenda for meetings to discuss important details for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Malta for the first time in November, as well as meetings with European Broadcasting Union officials.
“The minister will not be travelling today [yesterday],” the spokeswoman said.
Last year Dr Mallia’s presence in Sweden, which was hosting the event, had fuelled controversy, as no minister had ever accompanied the official Maltese delegation.
However, the Home Affairs Minister, who is also responsible for State broadcasting, had said he needed to attend an important European Broadcasting Union meeting.
Meanwhile PBS CEO Anton Attard yesterday told this newspaper that Żurrieq mayor Natius Farrugia and One TV presenter Deo Grech were in Denmark as part of the PBS press team.
The presence of the two Eurovision contest enthusiasts in Denmark along with the official delegation had raised questions as it was not clear in what capacity they were granted permission to travel with the delegation.
Mr Attard immediately clarified that PBS had not paid for any members of the press to cover the event. The decision to include them as part of the PBS team was dictated by European Broadcasting Union rules, which only allowed reporters from State television stations.
As a result, all members of the Maltese press had to follow this arrangement, Mr Attard said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman from the Office of the Prime Minister denied reports that Mr Grech and Mr Farrugia had been added to the delegation at its request.
Since their arrival in Copenhagen, both Mr Farrugia and Mr Grech have been acting as correspondents for the Labour radio station in a daily programme called Eurovision Radio.
Mr Farrugia has been travelling to the contest for the past 18 years, paying his own way.
As for Mr Grech, he was appointed as a member on PBS’s Eurosong Advisory Team in 2008 and has been involved within Eurovision circles for the past 18 years. He became a member of the OGAE (Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l’Eurovision) Network spread over 42 countries and was appointed as the president of OGAE Malta.
His visits to the Eurovision Song Contest have often been sponsored. He has reported directly from a number of host cities to local printed, online and visual media.
The Maltese team will learn its fate tonight in the second semi-final when a further 10 places will be up for grabs for Saturday’s final. According to the latest odds, Malta’s entry Coming Home, sung by the six-piece country folk pop band Firelight, is thought to have a good chance of progressing to the final.