Glenn Micallef has been appointed by Ursula von der Leyen, aged just 35, as the next European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport. The appointment comes after weeks of negotiations and a series of pressures to balance the gender distribution within the Commission. Glenn Micallef is the youngest Commissioner in the team, with an important portfolio for youth engagement in European politics.
Her role will be central to the management of programmes such as Erasmus+ and Creative Europe, with a budget (for the period 2021-2027) of €26.6 billion for the Erasmus programme and €2.44 billion for Creative Europe. Reflecting the relative importance of the portfolio, Ursula von der Leyen devoted few words to it in her speech, having focused more on the major economic items. Glenn Micallef pledged to promote justice between generations and to strengthen the civic engagement of young people in the Union.
A graduate in economics from the University of Malta, he was from 2020 until recently European Affairs Advisor to Labour Prime Minister Robert Abela. Christopher Fearne should have been appointed by the Maltese government, but he had to withdraw after being accused of corruption.
The Maltese government naturally welcomed the appointment, stressing the importance of youth and culture issues, while in Malta criticism emerged regarding his lack of experience.
He partly replaces Bulgarian Iliana Ivanova, who was in charge of innovation, research, culture, education and youth between 2019 and 2024. However, he will have to face a hearing before MEPs, a crucial step before officially taking up his duties.
