Interview with hor

6

The Malta Independent Monday 18 January 2016

Interview

Our role is not towards the gove - Commission Representation in DR ELENA GREI» - representative of the the European Commission in Malta - believes that the most enriching part of the job is to inform the public of the rights and opportunities available to them by the EU, she tells Helena 6rech. Dr Grech has had a long career both in Malta and within the EU, and was heavily involved with Malta's EU accession negotiations.

"We are the representation of the Commission in Malta," be­ gins Dr Grech while talking to The Malta Independent. The Eu­ ropean Commission is the exec­ utive branch of the EU, it drafts policy legislation and presents it to the Council and Parlia­ ment for approval. Once a piece of legislation gets ap­ proved, it then becomes law and it is also the responsibility of the Commission to ensure that the law is enforced.

Asked about her specific re­ sponsibilities as a Commission representative in Malta, Dr Grech expiaïnecf ť fiat' her roie "is to transmit and explain what the Commission is doing Brussels.

We must also transmit the impli­ cations of any laws adopted in Brussels for Malta, reflect dia­ logues that are going on and give publicity to what the Com­ mission is doing."

"I also have to report back to Brussels on what the situation is in Malta on things of general in­ terest, perception of EU senti­ ments and, for example, just to name one, what the Maltese per­ ception on the proposed British referendum is. 1 also have to re­ port back on national issues, such as Air Malta privatisation, to give another example."

"The main function of íny role is to keep the lines of com­ munication open. If there are particular discussions on a piece of legislation, however, and it had been flagged in ad­ vance that Malta has an ongo­ ing domestic issue in that regard, it is expected that Malta will have a firm position, so it's good to be prepared."

"We also often have Commis­ sioner visits here. President Juncker often calls on prime ministers in the different Mem­ ber State. If he has to speak to the Maltese Prime Minister or other Maltese ministers, he knows what's on their mind,

We sausa aïs® transmit Йе implikations of any Sûvjq adopties! in Srassels Ss® lialta, шШкзвЕ (HÜógiMS eSao8 as® going] on ani fjiws¡ pEäSileity go what Üsa Commission is doing what is going on and what the concerns are."

Providing an accurals picture of the Commission's work "Our role is not towards the gov­ ernment, because the govern­ ment goes to Brussels all the

time. Our role is vis-à-vis the public, because the media re­ ports whatever it wants. People also don't always follow the media, and our role is to give an accurate picture of what the im­ plications are of work carried out by the Commission. We also want to let citizens know what

their rights are in terms of EU legislation and benefits that can be obtained following certain steps taken in Brussels."

Asked about the perception that the Maltese are generally quite disinterested in EU affairs, and are much more interested in local politics, Dr Grech said:

7

The Malta Independent Monday 18 January 2016

rnment, it is vis-à-vis the public' Malta head Elena Grech Sere, people ш concerned with domestic issues taisse this is what is mose tangible; this is what affects them first ошй foremost

"Indeed, that is one of the chal­ lenges I see. In a way, I think it is positive in the sense that as long as things are going Well, local politics is all that matters to Mal­ tese people. Then, if there is an issue like arrivals of migrants, we look to the EU for solutions.

We ask why the EU doesn't do

more about this. I think all of us here in this office would like to create a more balanced situation.

It has improved a lot, I have to say, since accession, but Diane and I started working soon after Malta's accession and there was verv little awareness of what cit­ izen's rights are as EU citizens.

Now it is much more known or appreciated. People call in here asking where to go for this thing or that, and what rights exist, so there is awareness. We would like to make it more of a run-of the-mill sort of situation."

"We think about how political decisions taken in Brussels are

reflected in the Member States, and what that means to the Eu­ ropean citizen. Malta is a very small country, so in that sense it should be easy to reach every­ body, but it surprises me quite a lot when you listen to foreign media, for example - people seem much more aware where Europe is concerned, where something is due to decisions taken in Brussels, rather than in their own country."

Turning to why the Maltese tend to be so isolated from what happens in Brussels, Dr Grech said: "I think the main issue with this mentality, so to speak, is our island status. We are a very small island, rela­ tively far away from Brussels.

If you live in Paris and things happen in Brussels, you are physically closer, so the impli­ cations are somehow more tan Here, people are gible. concerned with domestic issues because this is what is more tangible; this is what affects them first and foremost," "It shouldn't be that way, but this is how I explain it to myself.

Distance does make us isolated as an island.Tor instance, when

there were the terror attacks in Paris, people in Brussels felt it a lot - people were really scared. I don't think that was the situa­ tion here. People went along with their normal lives, but in Brussels there were profound repercussions, especially be­ cause some of the terrorists came from Brussels themselves.

In Malta it was business as usual. This is how I explain it to myself and this is what we should overcome."

"Even though we are de­ tached, I believe that Malta has an equal right to speak out, just as much as Germany or France do, and our concerns are just as equally taken into account; it's not the size that makes the dif­ ference. We just have fewer concerns then other Member States, for example. The bigger the population is, the more in­ terests you have, so govern­ ments have to find a very fine balance between different pal­ ties whenever proposals are being discussed at the Euro­ pean Council. In Malta it's a more straightforward issue, so perhaps even at government level, there is not so much dis­ cussion very often unless it's a subject that deeply concerns Malta like migration. I think Cyprus it's pretty much the same story - they are an island, far from Brussels, much more affected by things happening in their region, like what hap­ pens in Greece, Turkey, Syria and so on."

Dr Grech was appointed to her new role on 1 January 2016.

She has had a long career both in Brussels with the Commis­ sion and with the Maltese gov­ ernment at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Dr Gřech has not lived and worked in Malta for a number of years, there­ fore just two weeks into her new role, back in her home country, this newsroom asked her how difficult it has been to re^-orient herself back into the Maltese scene: "When 1 start a new job, 1 like to meet my colleagues, discover what they do, who they are, what problems need resolving and how we can create a better team atmosphere. This week there were a lot of public events and interviews. I like to keep myself informed as to what is happening locally, as that is part of my job, keep myself informed on what is happening in Brussels and then attend any events, or­ ganise events, brainstorm with colleagues on what we can or­ ganise and transmit messages in the right way. See, if we need to speak to people, I want to meet key people in the Maltese ad­ ministration, civil society, NGOs and stakeholders to try and get the feeling and understand what is happening on the ground and how we can improve our per­ formance as a representation."