[WATCH] Robert Abela insists Malta got 'one of the strongest portfolios' in Von der Leyen's team

On Tuesday, Von der Leyen unveiled the portfolios she has assigned to her new team. Micallef's portfolio is a sliver of a former portfolio that included education, innovation and research.

Micallef, an EU expert, is also one of the youngest commissioners to be nominated for the job. Like the rest of Von der Leyen's team, he has yet to be grilled by the responsible committees of MEPs and voted upon by the plenary.

Doorstepped by the media following a special Cabinet meeting held at Dar San Ġużepp in Santa Venera, Abela insisted that Micallef’s nomination was inspired by his faith in the abilities of young people.

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When the Prime Minister was asked whether Malta should have been given a more influential portfolio such as that of the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, he dismissed the notion that the Mediterranean portfolio is more influential.

The proposed appointment of a European Commissioner for the Mediterranean to better tackle the challenges of the region was made by Malta in 2023 during a European leaders' meeting in Croatia. Malta had been gunning for the new post.

Abela stated that if he were free to choose the portfolio given to the Maltese Commissioner, it would very much look like the one handed to Micallef.

Abela described the portfolio given to his former head of secretariat as “one of the strongest portfolios,” citing the role’s strong budget and other tools at its disposal.

The Prime Minister shunned the suggestion that the weakness of Micallef's portfolio was evident by the fact that it was stripped of the education and innovation sectors. Instead, Abela underlined his satisfaction with the role given to Malta’s nominee and thanked the Von der Leyen for entrusting the portfolio in the hands of a young person.

Brussels-based news portal, Politico, described Glenn Micallef as one of the "losers" in Von der Leyen's new team because of the little relevance his portfolio enjoys at EU level.