How about this: Malta will hold the EU presidency during Cameron’s EU referendum, in which Joseph Muscat is playing good cop, bad cop.

I would say that the budget for the period is hardly the issue here.

Nobody knows who will be chairing the Council working groups. There is no evidence that training is being provided in negotiation, chairing and French (which with English is a working language without translation provided in working groups).

Although the EU institutions offer the opportunity to officials to be seconded on full pay to their member state during a Presidency (which is considered to help fast-track careers), word has it that nobody has accepted the offer. I wonder why.

He also stated that the Polish presidency had spent about €120 million while Denmark limited its expenditure to €40 million, but that on average countries spent €65million euros.

In addition, Dr Borg said at the time that calls for more officers operating from Dar Malta in Brussels had been issued, adding that Malta would need about 200 officials during the presidential period.

Bearing in mind that Malta will be the focus of world attention during its presidential period, and given that the author of the article puts it that “a disastrous presidency can certainly have a disruptive effect on EU business”, perhaps Dr Borg’s and the government’s reluctance to talk about it at the moment is because they are not yet quite in a position to call a press conference and enlighten the electorate as to what the budget is likely to be….or how many of these 200 official posts have now been filled via a transparent and meritocratic recruitment campaign, and that not one of these important positions has been filled by persons of trust, friends or cronies.