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Matthew Vella
She was one of the Nationalist Party’s main candidates to the European Parliament last year, and now she will be the EU’s glorified public relations officer in Malta. Maybe not an MEP, but at least a Commission representative.
Lawyer Joanna Drake, 41, will formally become the head of representation for the European Commission on 1 October, acting as the voice of the EU in a member state that is most keen on weighing people’s political baggage.
But she is now turning her back on party politics. “Definitely not,” Drake says about hanging on to the party – candidates for the position had to confirm their willingness to make a declaration of their commitment to act independently in the public interest.
A Nationalist candidate in the 1998 general elections, her unsuccessful outing was followed by her assiduous participation in the pro-EU movement IVA. Following the victory for the yes camp in the EU referendum, she was appointed chairperson of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority.
“I will follow all the rules of the staff regulations for community workers,” Drake tells MaltaToday, seemingly unperturbed about the public perception of a PN candidate and political appointee acting as a neutral voice for the European Commission.
As an employee of the commission’s directorate-general for press and communication, Drake is responsible for making the EU and its policies understandable to people, and reporting back to the commission on public opinion in Malta.
That her political past could hinder the credibility she will need to bring the EU closer to the people, does not worry her.
“I cannot pass judgement over what the people think,” she says. “The EU is today accepted by all political parties and I will be representing the European community’s interests. The commission would not have chosen me if there was ever any problem. The commission made its investigations, asked its questions and it was up to the commission to make the choice.”
It was a choice which Axel Bunz, Malta’s interim head of representation, denies was done through consultation with either the Maltese government or Maltese members of the European Commission. “There was no form of consultation, official or informal, sought from the Maltese government or other Commission members at all for such a position,” he states.
Drake certainly faced off some tough competition to get within the final list of three, which included media personality and MEPA official Marie Briguglio and Marlene Bonnici, the co-ordinator for Malta’s EU-funded projects.
Taking down some 30 candidates to a shortlist of 10 is in itself one of the major hurdles for the post. Candidates had to submit an 8,000-word letter of motivation, as well as proving their financial and management know-how, an excellent knowledge of EU policies, and also a knowledge of the political situation and media.
Most importantly it involved the ability to “communicate to all types of audiences, a clear and relevant message and positive image” of the EU’s institutions and commission.
It explains in fact why three of the seven new heads of representation in the new member states are journalists, although Bunz says Drake proved considerable inside experience of European institutions. Like other heads of representation in other member states who also had political backgrounds, he feels Drake’s own baggage does not influence the neutrality required in this position.
“I am happy now that the political climate in Malta has changed and both parties in parliament are no longer at loggerheads over the EU questions. Both support the European project and I think this change will be favourable.”
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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