Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523374
9 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2024 Who are the five people who have thrown their hat in ring to become judge at the European Court? FIVE Maltese people have ap- plied to become judge at the European Court of Justice's General Court, MaltaToday is informed. Lawyers Jacques Rene' Zam- mit, Edward Zammit Lewis, Da- vid Ciliberti, Rashida Sheikh and Veronique Dalli have responded to a call for applications issued by the Maltese government. They are vying to replace Ra- mona Frendo, who has been accepted to serve on the Europe- an Court of Justice. Frendo had been a judge at the European General Court since 2019. Every EU member state gets to nominate two judges on the General Court, following an open call for applications. Gov- ernment's eventual nominee will still have to be cleared by a panel of legal experts at the ECJ. A judge at the European Court of Justice interprets and applies EU law to ensure its consistent implementation across member states. They handle cases involv- ing disputes between EU institu- tions, member states, business- es, and individuals, and provide preliminary rulings when na- tional courts seek clarification on EU law. Judges also review the legal- ity of acts by EU institutions and can impose penalties for non-compliance, thereby play- ing a crucial role in maintaining the rule of law within the EU. The post was thrust under the spotlight after former jus- tice minister Edward Zammit Lewis' possible nomination as judge was leaked to the press. The leak resulted in civil society NGO Repubblika writing to the European Court of Justice, ask- ing it to turn down the nomi- nation. Repubblika president Vicki Cremona told the Article 255 panel that Zammit Lewis's elec- tion as candidate to the Europe- an Court of Justice would tar- nish the Court's reputation and compromise its responsibility to be perceived as a bulwark to the rule of law. She said the former Labour minister was unsuited to the post after it was revealed that he had been in contact with Yorgen Fenech, even when it emerged in press investigations in November 2018 that Fenech was the owner of a Dubai com- pany identified as the source of unlawful payments to the secret Panama companies of Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri. The government hit back by saying the NGO's letter was a "thinly veiled" attempt at a per- sonal attack. Justice Minister Jonathan At- tard denied claims by Cremona that there has been no selection process in respect of the nom- ination of the candidate. An open call for the post was issued in the Government Gazzette of 30 April 2024. Attard said the selection pro- cess is ongoing at national level, and that viva voce interviews of candidates are planned for the coming weeks. Who are the candidates? Jacques Rene' Zammit Jacques René Zammit is a Mal- tese lawyer and blogger known for his contributions to the on- line commentary scene in Malta. He is the creator of the popular blog "J'accuse," where he writes about Maltese politics, culture, and society, often with a critical and satirical tone. In addition to his blogging activities, Zammit is recognised for his work in law and has contributed to public dis- course through his writings and commentary on legal and political matters in Malta. According to his LinkedIn bio, he currently works as a Press At- taché for Malta and Ireland at the Court of Justice of the European Union. In his student days, Zammit was also president of the Studenti Demokristjani Maltin (SDM). Edward Zammit Lewis A sitting MP, Edward Zammit Lewis is a lawyer by profession. He was first elected to parlia- ment in 2013 on the Labour Party ticket. Following his elec- tion in 2013, he was made par- liamentary secretary for com- petitiveness in former prime minister Joseph Muscat's first Cabinet. He has since occupied sever- al ministerial roles, including tourism, European affairs and equality, as well as justice and governance. As justice minister he piloted several constitutional and judicial reforms requested by the Venice Commission. Since the 2022 general election he has been a backbencher for the Labour government and cur- rently heads parliament's foreign and European affairs committee. Zammit Lewis is no stranger to controversy, with leaked Whatsapp chats between him and Daphne Caruana Galizia murder mastermind Yorgen Fenech, revealing a close rela- tionship between the two. David Ciliberti David Ciliberti is a legal and policy officer at the Europe- an Commission's DG JUST. As part of his tasks, he has reviewed national laws imple- menting the General Data Pro- tection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive (LED) and has represented the European Commission before the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), in the financial matters sub-group. He is cur- rently working on the legal re- vision of the Consumer Credit Directive. Prior to joining the European Commission, Ciliberti served as a justice and home affairs at- taché at the Maltese Representa- tion to the EU. He represented Malta during the negotiations of the GDPR and LED. During the Maltese Presidency of the Coun- cil of Ministers in 2017, Ciliberti chaired the Working Party on Information Exchange and Da- ta Protection (DAPIX). Earlier in his career, Ciliberti worked at the European Court of Justice (CJEU). Veronique Dalli Veronique Dalli is the founder and managing partner of Dalli Advocates, a law firm special- ised in assisting companies and individuals in business related matters with interdisciplinary services. The firm has provided legal services to MaltaToday in its fight against SLAPP and defa- mation cases. She was admitted to the Mal- tese bar in 2006 and has repre- sented clients before the Consti- tutional Court and the Superior Courts in Malta as well as before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. She has often contributed to the public debate on legal and judicial reforms. Dalli serves as a tutor and examiner at the Fac- ulty of Law, University of Malta, and is also a member of the Elec- toral Commission. Dalli is also the sister of Envi- ronment Minister Miriam Dalli. Rashida Sheikh Rashida Sheikh is a lawyer-lin- guist with the Maltese language unit at the European Court of Justice. There is little informa- tion in the public domain on her career. KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Left to right: Edward Zammit Lewis, Jacques Rene' Zammit and Veronique Dalli