Career diplomat to be new ambassador to Paris

Following my post yesterday about the end of political appointee Vince Camilleri’s tour of duty as ambassador in Paris, today I can tell you that Malta’s new ambassador-designate to that august city is Patrick Mifsud, a highly experienced career diplomat and member of Malta’s professional foreign service.

Mifsud was deputy to Malta’s Permanent Representative in Brussels, Richard Cachia Caruana, and after that he served as a member of Tonio Borg’s cabinet when Borg was a European Commissioner (between John Dalli’s dismissal and Karmenu Vella’s appointment).

This is the Labour government’s first appointment of a career diplomat to the top post at any European embassy/high commission since it was elected three and a half years ago. All of Malta’s European embassies and the high commission in London are headed by political appointees, including former employees of the Labour Party and broadcasters with the Labour Party’s television and radio stations.

Patrick Mifsud’s nomination as ambassador to Paris does not signal a new understanding by the government that in these troubled times for Europe it needs professional, career diplomats to head Malta’s European embassies and high commission. All the political appointees, across the board, had their tour of duty extended by another three years, just a few weeks ago.

Vince Camilleri in Paris is the exception. It is not clear whether he himself sought to return to Malta when his tour ended this month – he is around 80 – or whether it was the government which chose not to extend his tour of duty there by another three years.