EU Ombudsman to investigate discriminatory recruitment in the Commission delegation in Malta
Labor MEP Alex Agius Saliba successfully obtained an investigation by the EU Ombudsman into allegedly discriminatory practices by the European Commission.
Agius Saliba said that the investigation also deals with cases of discrimination against Maltese citizens who apply for jobs in the European Commission office in Malta, and another case initiated by the trade union Renouveau Democracie regarding how the Maltese language is treated during the recruitment processes for the institution’s employees.
“The delay for justice in the European bureaucracy will not dissuade me. Malta and the Maltese are no less worthy than others,” said Agius Saliba.
Previously, Agius Saliba protested against the employment of a Latvian citizen who was previously a member of the EPP in the European Parliament, chosen by Maltese citizens to join the delegation of the European Commission in Valletta, as an Officer of the European Semester.
Agius Saliba said that the candidate was chosen even though one of the job requirements is the knowledge of the Maltese language.
He complained to EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis that the Maltese were being treated as “second class citizens”.
“It is an insult to Malta and the Maltese language that in a selection process for EC officials, Maltese applicants for the position were ignored and a Latvian candidate was chosen when they do not know a single word of Maltese, and therefore could not fulfill the criteria to have a ‘good command of the Maltese language’ as requested in the position of the EC,” said Agius Saliba.
The work of the European Semester Officer (ESO) in Malta focuses on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the European Semester. The successful candidate needs a very good expert knowledge of the policies and priorities of the Commission and of the European system of economic governance as well as very good analytical skills, necessary for the assessment of the implementation of the RRF.
“The vacancy announcement also mentioned the good command of Maltese as one of the relevant criteria. At the same time, both the analytical work and the discussions with the Maltese authorities are done in English,” said Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis to Agius Saliba, but he said that the EC promoted “a multinational profile of its teams. ”
“Therefore, a significant number of ESOs and other staff in the Capital are not citizens of the respective Member State… the vacancy announcement mentioned several elements in terms of competence and qualifications required, the Maltese language is only one of them. … The selection was made on that basis,” added the Commissioner.
But Agius Saliba blew up the answer. “It is full of empty excuses… coincidentally, Dombrovskis is Latvian himself, and belongs to the EPP political family like the chosen candidate Martin Zemitis, who was the parliamentary assistant of EPP member Richard Piks.”
Agius Saliba took Dombrovskis to claim that even the government departments in Malta are able to communicate in English. “I am sure that the Commission would not have placed a Latvian who does not know how to speak a word of French or German in the offices of its member states as it wants to do in Malta.