Glenn Micallef’s questionnaire: A nod to MEPs, volunteers, Ukraine and the French

Glenn Micallef was vice president of Zabbar St Patrick FC up until September 2024. It is one of the engagements he listed in the Declaration of Interests form submitted for review by the European Parliament’s legal affairs committee known as JURI.

Like the rest of the European Commissioner designates, Micallef was given a clean bill of health by JURI, which scrutinises declaration for any potential conflicts of interest. Micallef was tasked by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with the culture, youth and sport portfolio that also includes inter-generational fairness.

The declaration, which is available publicly, shows that Micallef was also a committee member of his hometown Kalkara’s St Joseph band club between 2021 and 2023.

Micallef had also been appointed by the government to serve as council president and member of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation between 2021 and July 2024. The foundation is a joint venture between the Maltese state and the church to administer the cultural heritage of the Valletta cathedral and its museum.

The declaration also confirms that Micallef’s public service roles have always been linked to EU affairs, either as an advisor and sherpa to the prime minister or as a functionary within the government’s EU Coordination Department.

We also learn that Micallef’s wife is an architect and is a local councillor in Kalkara. She was also appointed by the government to serve as a member of the Animal Welfare Council.

Glenn Micallef’s face-to-face grilling at the hands of MEPs will be held on Monday at 2:30pm. MaltaToday will provide a live feed of proceedings.

GLENN’S WRITTEN REPLIES TO MEPs

Playing up the portfolio

Glenn did not waste time to play up the importance of his portfolio, calling it a “strategic investment” in the future of the EU. He had to do that given that most of his work will be dedicated to pushing and pulling other fellow commissioners to deliver on their commitments in education, equality, justice and the regulation of the digital environment.

In his words: “I consider this portfolio a strategic investment in the EU’s future, democracy, and well-being, delivering tangible benefits to citizens and empowering them to achieve their full potential.”

A passion forged in the EP

When replying on his personal qualities, Glenn threw a sop to MEPs, telling them that his passion for the EU project kicked off as a trainee at the European Parliament. It benefits him that being so young, his involvement in the Labour Party came years after the party’s euroscepticism was dead and buried. Indeed, Glenn’s CV is forged in EU politics and bureaucracy.

In his words: “I believe that my qualifications and experience make me well-suited to promote the European general interest.”

“My passion for the EU project was sparked as a trainee at the European Parliament…”

Cabinet participation

Given Glenn’s lack of executive experience – he was never a minister and never occupied an elected office – he had to underscore with MEPs that his role as head of secretariat at the Office of the Prime Minister also gave him a seat at Cabinet. Being at the table where decisions are taken is possibly just a notch less important as being the minister drafting and implementing policy – something that did not escape Ursula von der Leyen’s attention when she assigned him one of the least influential portfolios.

In his words: “Given my past roles, especially my most recent positions, which have enabled me to participate in all discussions of the Cabinet of Ministers for the last four years, I have personally experienced several challenges which the sectors within the portfolio assigned to me as Commissioner-Designate are currently facing, and I am aware of the many opportunities in these areas.”

A nod to volunteers

Glenn also emphasised that his personal experiences gave him invaluable insights into the role of volunteers and other stakeholders in the sectors he is expected to shadow at a European level. This framed his European commitment within the personal experiences he has lived, which is not a bad thing.

In his words: “I believe that these handson experiences gave me the opportunity to live the portfolio assigned to me, and taught me invaluable lessons, prime of which is the crucial role played by volunteers and other stakeholders in these sectors.”

Dialogue with the CULT

Glenn told MEPs he is a “a firm believer in the power of dialogue” and goes on to affirm his commitment to maintain open communication with MEPs on the CULT committee. No, it’s not a cabal of sorts as some would like to frame the European institutions but the European Parliament’s culture committee with which he will have to deal with a lot.

In his words: “I commit to maintaining an open channel of communication with the CULT Committee and to hold regular meetings with the Committee. It will also be a pleasure for me to participate in plenary debates in the Parliament on topics of my portfolio.”

Democracy and the authoritarian bogeyman

Glenn promised MEPs he will strengthen youth participation in democratic life not least by chasing fellow commissioners to ensure policies take into account youth perspectives. When asked about disillusionment among young people, Glenn tried to play ball with the mainstream perspective that blames this on “authoritarian regimes” and “non-democratic actors” wreaking havoc in Europe. Are these the words of Roberta Metsola?

In his words: “My priority would be to further strengthen youth participation in democratic life and to ensure that youth perspectives are integrated into policymaking through youth mainstreaming practices across the Commission.”

“As the first ever Commissioner-designate for intergenerational fairness, I attach particular importance to instilling a true and lasting culture of participatory democracy that applies to all ages, including senior citizens.”

“Disillusionment is multi-faceted and driven by several factors. Part of this is clear attempts by authoritarian regimes and non-democratic actors to create and increase societal division in Europe. Such actors seek to stoke mistrust and exploit disillusionment with established democratic institutions, and undermine the democratic process in the EU, weakening the democratic voice of citizens and civil society.”

The battle against excessive screen time

Glenn emphasised with MEPs the need to protect children and young people from disinformation, social media harm and excessive screen time. He will have to depend on other commissioners to push this agenda through.

In his words: “We must protect especially our children and young people who are vulnerable to harm from social media and excessive screen time.”

Culture and Europe’s soul

Europe’s cultural diversity is like a woven tapestry that brings together different colours, patterns and fabric, which Glenn has committed to protect and support. He described Europe’s diverse cultural heritage as the “DNA of our society” and insisted that freedom of artistic expression is essential for democracy. Glenn should know something about this having been part of a government that pushed for legislative changes in Malta to protect artistic expression from frivolous court proceedings.

In his words: “Culture and diverse cultural heritage are the very soul of our European way of life, a precious resource economy and DNA of our society.”

“Freedom of artistic expression is essential for democratic societies and cultural diversity. Protecting it from political interference and censorship is key to building a common European cultural space.”

A nod to MEPs’ work

Glenn was astute in recognising the work done by MEPs, who drew up a report to improve the working conditions of artists in the creative sectors. He also committed himself to pursuing this work if approved as European Commissioner, something that the European Parliament would want to hear.

In his words: “I share the concerns over the working conditions of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sectors. I am fully committed to pursuing the work initiated under the previous Commission in reply to the European Parliament’s own-initiative legislative report to improve the professional and social situation of artists and other professionals in the cultural and creative sectors.”

And also a nod to Ukraine

Within the context of a new five-year European mandate overshadowed by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the EU’s commitment to support Ukraine, it stood to reason that Glenn had to reference the situation. He did so by underlining the importance of protecting Ukraine’s “rich and unique” heritage – the only aspect of this conflict that would really fall in his lap.

In his words: “In the framework of our overall support to Ukraine, it is particularly important for me to work on the protection of the rich and unique Ukrainian cultural heritage.”

Underrepresentation of women

Glenn’s sports portfolio is somewhat of an ambassador at large for the EU, even though sports is a national competence apart from aspects concerning freedom of movement. Nonetheless, he committed himself to strengthening the “European Sport Model”, describing among the challenges it faces the “persistent underrepresentation of women”. The latter emphasis was an important reference that should assuage parliament’s long-held commitment to fight for greater equality.

In his words: “We need to continue working on the strengthening of the European Sport Model. It faces some long-standing challenges, such as the persistent underrepresentation of women in sport and, in particular, sport governance, as well as hate speech, abuse and discrimination, or cases of corruption and doping.”

And finally, a nod to the French

The French did manage to pull off a good show with the Paris Olympics during the summer despite the political turmoil Emmanuel Macron faced at home. Glenn astutely eulogised the legacy of Paris 2024 in his written replies, a sure way of trying to keep French MEPs of whatever hue on board.

In his words: “To safeguard the legacy of Paris 2024 and to ensure that the major sport events are instrumental in spreading positive values and promoting peace, freedom and human rights at global level, I will uphold a Sport Diplomacy Dialogue with the international and European sport community.”