The European Commission distanced itself from comments made by Valletta 2018 chairman Jason Micallef, noting it "cannot bear any responsibility for public statements by a national chair designated by the national authorities".

In a letter to MEP David Casa, European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans said the Commission strongly encouraged Mr Micallef to express himself in a manner that reflected the common values of the EU.

Mr Casa and 72 other MEPs had penned a letter to the European Commission insisting that Mr Micallef “had humiliated himself and has tainted Valletta 2018 by his behaviour”.

The protest was prompted by Mr Micallef's derogatory remarks about slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, for which he was chastised by a group of artists and  global writers.

The Valletta 2018 chairman was in the centre of a public media storm, when he posted a picture of St Patrick's Day celebrations in St Julian's and in a twist of the last words written by Ms Caruana Galizia, wrote: "St Patrick's Day in Malta. The situation is desperate. There is happy people everywhere you look."

He had also strongly objected to Ms Caruana Galizia's makeshift memorial outside the law courts in Valletta.

But Mr Micallef had dismissed the criticism last month and insisted that the situation had been “blown out of proportion”.

Mr Timmermans said in his letter to Mr Casa: “One of the missions of the European Capitals of Culture is precisely to invite Europeans to become active citizens and ensure that the core values of the Union are respected and shared.

“Any statements made in this context that go against the spirit are highly regrettable and should, in the Commission’s view, be avoided.”

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.