Malta needed a more mature government to achieve long-term success in the EU, a student who graduated Doctor of Philosophy said yesterday.
“We need a more mature government where the political parties draw a line under partisanship in the organisational structures overseeing EU affairs,” Mark Harwood said during a graduation ceremony.
Dr Harwood, whose thesis focused on how EU membership has changed Maltese public administration, was addressing graduates in law, financial services and other disciplines at the Jesuits church in Valletta.
He pointed out that EU membership placed a heavy burden on the Maltese public administration whose employees were often overworked, underpaid and underappreciated.
While a few individuals used EU membership to “gather power” around them, the public service gained a burden but no real power, said Dr Harwood.
He called for a more unified public service – in its objectives and collective identity – which should also make full use of University academics.
“Too much of our coordination system for EU affairs relies on actors who will leave when the government changes and the EU is too complex a political system to reconstruct coordination systems every time the government changes.”
Also, EU membership further centralised the Maltese decision-making system and created a “super ministry” at the heart of Malta’s political system.
The Office of the Prime Minister was given powers of patronage “it rarely had” through the Planning and Priorities Coordination Department, which oversees efficient absorption and management of European aid, he said.
Dr Harwood paid tribute to the late President Emeritus Guido de Marco and referred to his book Politics Of Persuasion.
In another graduation speech, David Zammit, head of the Department of Civil Law, pointed out that the best way to study law holistically was when students contextualised what they learned and were empowered to relate the theoretical study of law to its practical application.
The graduates are:
Master Of Arts In Law
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Emmanuel Bezzina, Natasha Buontempo, Renzo Porsella Flores, and Marc Sant.
Master Of Arts In Human Rights And Democratisation
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Nicola Abela, Charlotte Frederique Berenger, Solange Kimamo, Nicole Sarsero, and Nathania Tabone.
Master Of Arts In Financial Services
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Ann Marie Agius, Geoffrey Camilleri, Graziella Cassar, Jean Carl Debono, Antoine Demicoli, Anita Fenech, Mellyora Grech, Annalise Micallef, Jonathan Spiteri, Marvin Zammit, and Stephanie Zammit.
Magister Juris In European And Comparative Law
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Susann Agius, Phyllis Bezzina, Andrea Borg, Charlotte Camilleri, Alison Gatt, Emaliese Lofaro, Lorna Mifsud Cachia, Alexander Sciberras, and Benjamin Valenzia.
Magister Juris In International Law
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Caroline Farrugia, Natasa Gaman, and Jean Pierre Gauci.
Doctor Of Laws
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Mark Abela, Jonathan Abela Floridia, Angelle Agius, Jean Pierre Attard, Nadine Attard, Paula Attard, Trudy Attard, Petra Attard Montalto, Roberta Avellino, Annalies Azzopardi, Charmaine Azzopardi, Daniel Mark Azzopardi, Darren Azzopardi, Rachel Azzopardi, Ramona Azzopardi, Geraldine Ann Baldacchino, Maxine Balzan Demajo, Katrin Bartolo, Clint Bennetti, Andrea Luca Bonello, Marie Chantelle Bonnici, Adrian Borg, Elizabeth Borg, Karen Borg, Paul Borg, Therisa Borg, Alistair Bugeja, George Bugeja, Caroline Busuttil Naudi, Lara Buttigieg, Katia Cachia, Nadine Cachia, Mario Calleja, Abigail Camilleri, Alicia Camilleri, Christine Camilleri, Lara Camilleri, Nadia Camilleri, Olivia Camilleri, Yanika Camilleri, Jeanette Carabott, Abigail Marie Caruana, Charlene Caruana, Claudia Cassar, Daniela Cassar, Rosette Cassar, Stephanie Cassar, Kurt Etienne Catania, Stephenie Chetcuti, Adriana Ciantar, Melanie Ciappara, Jean Noel Cutajar, Anna Debono, Dorita Debono, Karl Debono, Loredana Debono, Marouska Debono, Caroline Dimech, Nathaniel Farrugia, Ingrid Fenech, Andrea Fenech Gonzaga, Andrew Formosa, Luke Frendo, Anna Marie Gaffiero Muscat Drago, Rachel Galea, Stephanie Galea, Francesca Galea Cavallazzi, Jessica Gauci, Rakele Gauci, Sihon Gauci, Maria Grech, Andrew Edward Grima, Clifton Grima, Krystyna Grima, Ruth Antoinette Grima, Cheryl Incorvaia, Maria Micallef, Nicholas Micallef, Yana Christina Mifsud, Corazon Mizzi, Anndrea Moran, Denise Muscat, Rachael Samantha Muscat, Henry Naudi, Tara Navarro, Maxilene Pace, Sharon Pace Gouder, Jonathan Pisani, Robert Anthony Piscopo, André Portelli, Tiziana Maria Refalo, Sarah Rutter Giappone, Stephanie Saliba, Alexia Sceberras Trigona, Kris Scicluna, Maria Scicluna, Lucio Sciriha, Ann Marie Spiteri, Roberta Spiteri, Elaine Sultana, Francesco Sultana, Graziella Tanti, Jonathan Thompson, Christian Tonna, Mariella Tonna, Stephanie Vassallo, Alexandra Vella, Amanda Vella, John Mary Vella, Anthia Ann Zammit, Francesca Zarb, Matthew Zarb, Michelle Zarb, and Omar Zerafa.
Doctor Of Philosophy
Sponsor: Dr Edward Warrington
Mark Anthony Harwood.