Updated 5.05pm with OPM statement
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants Malta to change its nominee for European Commissioner, Times of Malta is informed.
Glenn Micallef, who stepped down as the prime minister's head of secretariat last May, was nominated for the prestigious Brussels-based post last month by prime minister Robert Abela.
Von der Leyen is understood to be pressuring the Maltese government to nominate a woman in Micallef's stead, as she pushes for a more gender-balanced commission. But sources said the president is also targeting Malta because Micallef is among the least experienced of the nominated commissioners.
Sources in Brussels told Times of Malta that von der Leyen has suggested keeping Malta's existing EU Commissioner, Helena Dalli, for a second term, something the government is understood to be reluctant to do.
They added that von der Leyen is believed to have also asked at least two other member states to swap their male nominees.
A spokesperson from the Office of the Prime Minister stopped short of denying that Malta's nominee is under pressure.
"The engagement process is ongoing and the president is speaking to member states," the spokesperson said.
When contacted, Micallef declined to speculate.
"The process for appointment of commissioners is ongoing and, as expected, talks are taking place with member states," he told Times of Malta.
"Continued constructive engagement with the president-elect of the European Commission is imperative to help deliver the priorities for the next mandate."
Abela eschewed Malta's tradition of nominating long-standing politicians to the commissioner post when he put forward Micallef, a 34-year-old EU policy expert, as Malta's nominee.
Micallef has extensive EU experience, having led Maltese government briefs in Brussels for years, and it is understood that von der Leyen is not questioning his competence on EU affairs.
But his lack of political experience, coupled with Malta's relatively minor clout within the EU, is complicating matters for Malta's nominee.
Von der Leyen has pledged to make the next EU Commission more gender-balanced, and publicly called on member states to each present two nominees - a man and woman - for commission posts.
Most member states have ignored that request, noting that no such provision exists within the EU treaties. Of the 21 nominees presented so far, 16 are men.
Although the deadline for nominees closes on Friday, von der Leyen has roughly another week after that date before she formally assigns portfolios to her commission-in-waiting.
She can use that time to negotiate with member states, as she is understood to be doing with the Maltese government and others, promising stronger portfolios to those who deliver favourable nominees and vice-versa.
Malta had originally nominated former deputy prime minister Chris Fearne to the post, but those plans were dashed when a court last month ruled that Fearne should stand trial for fraud over the hospitals' scandal.
Abela's government then changed tack and nominated Micallef to the post. Times of Malta had reported that his nomination had ruffled feathers within Labour Party circles, with former and current cabinet members warning that MEPs will struggle to see beyond his inexperience.
Doubts over Dalli
Malta's outgoing EU commissioner is Helena Dalli, who held several ministerial roles before being nominated in 2019. She is understood to have lobbied to be nominated Malta's president earlier this year, and was disappointed about having missed out.
As EU Commissioner for Equality, Dalli has had a relatively low-profile term in Brussels.
Von der Leyen's reported willingness to have Dalli for a second term could be a sign that she has a bigger portfolio for her in mind.
One diplomat who spoke to Times of Malta on condition of anonymity believes that is what is currently at play.
“Von der Leyen is probably promising us a better portfolio if we agree to renominate her,” the diplomat said.
“If that's the case, the government must decide: stand by our nominee and look strong but get a weaker portfolio. Or swap nominee, look weak but get a stronger brief.”
But another diplomat within EU circles spoke damningly of the idea.
"Dalli has had a borderline useless portfolio. She is easy for von der Leyen to control," the diplomat told Times of Malta. "Having her for a second term would just ensure Malta is effectively irrelevant within the commission."
Should Helena Dalli be out of the picture, government sources said Micallef's omission could pave the way for two other female candidates to be nominated to the commission: Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, or Malta's Permanent Representative to the EU Marlene Bonnici.
Both are familiar faces in Brussels: Dalli was an influential MEP who also served as a vice president of the S&D political grouping, while Bonnici has served as Malta's ambassador to the EU for almost a decade.
How are EU commissioners nominated and elected?
The process to appoint commissioners involves three separate EU institutions, as well as member states, directly.
Article 17 of the Treaty of the European Union states that the list of presumptive EU Commissioners must be drafted "on the basis of the suggestions made by Member States."
That list is then presented by the Council of Ministers "by common accord" with the EU Commission president, in this case von der Leyen.
Commissioners are then grilled by MEPs, who then vote on comissioner nominees as a group. If MEPs approve the college of commissioners, the European Council - effectively the government heads of member states - appoint the commission through a qualified majority vote.