European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič urged Maltese representatives to bear responsibility for decisions reached within EU institutions.

Addressing a public dialogue organised by the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee this morning, Mr Šefčovič lamented politicians' tendency to blame unfavourable decisions on the union.

“There is a trend which I call the Brusselsisation of failure and the nationalisation of success. The reality is that decisions are taken in Brussels and not by Brussels. If representatives from all countries took responsibility and told their citizens that unfavourable decisions were the result of compromise, I’m sure they would understand,” he said.

Mr Šefčovič, responsible for inter-institutional relations and administration, is on a two-day visit and has held lengthy discussions with the government. He also met Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and Speaker Anglu Farrugia.

Asked by MEP Roberta Metsola about the relatively low number of Maltese employed within the European Commission, Mr Šefčovič acknowledged that Maltese employees made up just 0.6 per cent of the Commission when French employees make up 9.7 per cent.

“The Maltese employees within the Commission are among the youngest, with an average age of 39. This, combined with their good level of English, makes them very competitive,” he said.

Mr Šefčovič also complimented the “remarkable” local voting turn out, which he said had translated into a strong bond between citizens and representatives.

“We need to learn how you do it here in Malta if we are to tackle the problem of low voting and euro-scepticism,” he said.

The event was also attended by Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli who expressed her disappointment that the Commission had axed a communications plan aimed at providing simplified information of EU structures.

“The EU participation rate is worrying. This needs to be tackled as voting is the union’s most democratic function,” she said.