Robert Abela ignores EC president and insists on Micallef for commissioner

Prime Minister Robert Abela has dug in his heels over the nomination of his 34-year-old friend and former chief of staff Glenn Micallef for a top post within the European Commission.

Speculation through the media, pushed by Commission insiders, including the office of current Maltese Commissioner Helena Dalli, who wanted a second term, was put to sleep by Abela, who confirmed by last Friday’s deadline that he still wanted Micallef as Malta’s next Commissioner.

Abela’s insistence came in the face of informal messages sent to Malta that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wasn’t enthusiastic about Malta’s nominee, mainly due to his inexperience.

This resistance from Brussels might still cost Micallef and Malta dearly when the next stage of his approval process occurs in just a few weeks.

“The prime minister was fuming about leaks from the Commission. This should have never happened as it has put Malta in a very embarrassing situation with everyone, including MEPs, noting that Micallef was not very welcome,” sources close to the OPM told The Shift.

As the deadline imposed by Von der Leyen elapsed, only Belgium’s nominee remains outstanding. All the other members have submitted their choices, proposing political heavyweights, mostly with years of ministerial experience. Malta’s nominee is the exception.

It is now up to the Commission President to assign portfolios to the designated commissioners. Micallef’s status as a lightweight does not suggest that he will receive anything significant.

Later this month, all designated commissioners will have to appear before MEP committees for a hearing, after which they will decide whether to recommend the candidate.

If a candidate is rejected, the member states will be asked to replace the nominee or the Commission President to change the designated commissioners’ portfolio.

Micallef given €7,000 allowance days before the MEP elections

Meanwhile, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, who resigned just a few days after Labour’s battering at last June’s MEP elections, negotiated and obtained a €7,000 increase in his financial package at the OPM just a few days before his departure.

According to an addendum to his contract, seen by The Shift, Micallef increased his take-home pay by 15% due to his role as the prime minister’s ‘sherpa’ – another name for representative on EU affairs.

As part of his role at the OPM, Micallef had been covering this role for years since becoming chief of staff in 2020. It is unknown why Abela felt the need to give Micallef an out-of-contract boost to his take-home pay just days before June’s elections.

Micallef is a civil servant, and despite his resignation from the OPM, he is still on the public payroll. This will also be the case if the EP turns down his nomination and sends him back to Malta.