The surprise nomination of Glenn Micallef, Robert Abela’s former head of secretariat, to be Malta’s next European Commissioner has ruffled feathers within Labour circles, with former and current cabinet members warning that MEPs will struggle to see beyond his inexperience.

Micallef’s nomination eschews the long-standing custom of nominating a politician to the role, thrusting the relatively unknown and inexperienced 34-year-old into the spotlight.

His nomination comes just days after courts dashed Abela’s hopes to reinstate Chris Fearne’s nomination, but Thursday’s announcement appears to have rankled within Labour circles.

Speaking to Times of Malta, one former minister described the choice to send someone who is not a politician and with such little experience as “a slap to the face of the EU”.

“Other countries are sending current and former prime ministers. We are sending someone whose experience is a low-profile role,” they said.

Meanwhile, one current minister said that although Micallef is sharp and well-versed in European affairs, he will struggle to defend his lack of experience.

We’re already irrelevant. We’re about to become even more irrelevant- Former minister

The move to nominate an untested newcomer will almost certainly lead to Malta receiving one of the least coveted portfolios within the EU cabinet, the minister argued.

“We’re already irrelevant. We’re about to become even more irrelevant. I just hope the MEPs don’t choose to humiliate him because of his lack of experience.”

All commissioner nominees will face the European parliamentarians for a grilling before they are formally accepted.

Several more experienced heads had been touted as potential candidates, with one former minister telling Times of Malta that someone like Energy Minister and former MEP Miriam Dalli would have been a more apt choice. But, they admit, that move could have eventually backfired if future Electrogas-related revelations emerged, forcing her to step down.

But the nomination was seen as somewhat of a poisoned chalice, with nobody within the cabinet group – with the notable exception of Culture Minister Owen Bonnici – believed to have been actively vying for the role.

Who have other countries nominated?

According to a Politico report, 10 of the EU’s 27 member states have submitted their nomination so far.

Four of these – Slovakia, Latvia, Croatia and the Netherlands – chose to re-confirm their existing Commissioner. Of the remaining six countries, four of them are nominating either current or former ministers, with a fifth, Finland, opting for one of their MEPs.

The only non-politician from the bunch is Slovenia’s Tomaž Vesel, a 57-year-old lawyer who spent most of the past decade presiding over the country’s Court of Audit.

From student politics to head of secretariat

Micallef is two decades Vesel’s junior, but has seen a rapid rise within government circles, having spent the past years serving as Abela’s head of secretariat, after taking over from Clyde Caruana in late 2022 when the latter was co-opted to parliament.

The role of head of secretariat, better known by its former title of chief of staff, effectively meant that Micallef was responsible for the day-to-day running of the prime minister’s office.

Micallef was also tasked with leading the government’s response to the findings of the Jean Paul Sofia inquiry, coordinating a cabinet committee set up to implement the inquiry’s recommendations.

He also represented Malta, together with Foreign Minister Ian Borg, in a Ukraine-led peace summit late last year.

Micallef was described as “a sherpa, he goes with the Prime Minister and organises a meeting or two, but he wasn’t a diplomat and probably never set foot in an embassy in his life”.

That is not to say that Micallef doesn’t have any experience with EU matters.

Before joining Abela’s office, he served as the director general for Malta’s EU coordination department, a body within the foreign office that is responsible for managing Malta’s position in discussions with EU institutions and making sure European laws and policies are slotted into Malta’s political system.

He is broadly seen to be an expert in EU policy, having also served as Abela’s advisor on EU affairs.