Panel 1
Prof. Fulvio Attina'
Fulvio Attina', Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations, and Jean Monnet Chair Ad Personam at the University of Catania, former Chair of the Italian Association of Political Science (SISP) and member of the governing bodies of ECPR, ISA and Italian ECSA. He taught as visiting professor at universities in America, Asia, and Europe. He is the author of books and scientific journals articles on world politics, multilateral security, European Union politics, Euro-Mediterranean relations, the problem of mass migration, and world climate policy. His book The Global Political System (Palgrave, 2011) has also been published in Italian, Spanish, and Russian. He is the editor of China and world politics in transition. How China transforms the world political order, Springer, 2023; World Order Transition and the Atlantic Area, Springer, 2021; The politics and policies of relief, aid and reconstruction. Contrasting approaches to disasters and emergencies, Palgrave, 2012; and Multilateral Security and ESDP Operations, Ashgate, 2010. His current research interest is the world order transition and multilateralism.
Dr Valentina Cassar
Valentina Cassar is a Senior Lecturer within the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Arts at the University of Malta. She completed a PhD in International Relations at the University of Aberdeen, where she conducted research on the Nuclear Strategic Cultures of the United States and Russia. Valentina is a graduate in International Relations from the University of Malta and a graduate in Strategic Studies from the University of Aberdeen. Before joining the Department of International Relations, she held posts within Malta's Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs and the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment. Valentina is the Department Contact Point within the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium Network and is an alumnus of the Salzburg Seminars and of the Studies of the United States Institute (SUSI). Her teaching and research focus on strategic cultures, nuclear politics, the foreign and security policies of the United States and Russia, neutrality and European security and defence issues.
Dr Moira Catania
Dr Moira Catania has been a resident academic staff of the Institute for European Studies at the University of Malta since October 2010. She holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and a Master of Arts in European Studies, from the University of Malta. She obtained her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Bradford, UK, with a thesis on Budget Institutions in the Euro Area – Quality of budget institutions, legislative budgetary power and implications for fiscal discipline. She teaches introductory economics courses as well as study units related to economics of European integration and EU economic and monetary union. Her main research interests concern budget institutions, EU economic governance, economic and monetary union, EU economic integration, as well as Malta in the EU, particularly economic and monetary union and competitiveness issues. Dr Catania has also extensive professional experience, having worked at the Economic Policy Department, within the Ministry of Finance, where she held the position of Director (Economic Strategy). She has worked on issues related to the monitoring and analysis of the domestic economy, macroeconomic policy and on the EU economic policy coordination and fiscal surveillance processes. Dr Catania has also held a number of board positions and in January 2023, she was appointed as Chairperson of the Malta Fiscal Advisory Council.
Prof. Mark Harwood
Mark Harwood is an Associate Professor in Comparative Politics at the University of Malta. His area of specialisation is the Europeanization of Maltese politics with a particular focus on public administration, governance and policy. Since 2016 he has been Director of the Institute for European Studies and has worked extensively on projects mapping Malta’s EU membership with a special focus on the politics of European integration. His most recent publications include: ‘Malta’s Political Conundrum: Europe’s leading country for LGBTIQ rights and the ban on abortion’, International Journal of Sociology (2022); 'Malta’s Parliamentary Administration' in The Routledge Handbook of Parliamentary Administration (2023), T. Christiansen, E. Griglio and N. Lupo (eds.). Routledge, London; and ‘Malta and Climate Change: Balancing Opportunities with Limitations’ In Climate Change and the Future of Europe (2023), M. Kaeding, J. Pollak & P. Schmidt (eds.). Springer, Cham.
Prof. Roderick Pace
Roderick Pace, is a full-time professor, resident academic member of staff at the Institute for European Studies of the University of Malta. He was Director of European Documentation and Research Centre which later became the Institute for European Studies from 1991 to 2016. His main research interests are Malta and the EU, small states in international affairs, Maltese politics, foreign policy, Euro-Mediterranean relations including the external dimension of the EU’s migration policies and parliamentary diplomacy. Between 2012-15 he held a Jean Monnet Chair. He co-ordinates the Institute’s doctoral programme and teaches at post-graduate and under-graduate levels. He served as an elected member of Senate between 2000-2002. A long-standing member of the Institute’s Board since its inception and of the University’s Islands and Small States Institute, he is also a member of the editorial board of the Institute’s publications, the Journal of South European Society and Politics (from 2009) published by Taylor and Francis and the Journal for Small States & Territories [ISSN: 2616-8006]. Many of his publications are accessible on line at OAR@UM: Browsing OAR@UM
Panel 2
Dr Joe Borg
Dr Joe Borg 72, graduated Doctor of Laws in Malta in 1975 and Master of Laws in Wales in 1988. Since 1979, Joe Borg has held academic posts at the University of Malta specializing in Company Law, and in Industrial Law. He practiced law until 1997. In 1995 he was the main author and drafter of the Malta Companies Act. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Malta between 1992 and 1995. Dr Borg was elected in 1995 as a Member of the House of Representatives for the Nationalist Party He became Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta between 1999 and 2004, during which period he led negotiations for Malta’s accession to the European Union. In 2004 he took up the post of Member of the European Commission with responsibility for fisheries and maritime affairs. His mandate as European Commissioner came to an end in February 2010. He resumed lecturing at the University of Malta in October 2010 and retired in 2017. He was appointed Chairperson of the Board of Administrators of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies between December 2010 and May 2017. He served as Chairperson of AgriBank PLC for 8 years and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Malta Maritime Forum for 6 years before he retired in 2020 and 2021 respectively. In December 2016 he was awarded a D.Litt Honoris Causa by the University of Malta in recognition of his work in connection with Malta’s EU accession process and his role as Malta’s first European Commissioner. Joe Borg is married to Isabelle and they have two children, Joseph and Clara.
Prof. Tonio Borg
Born in Malta on 12th May 1957, Prof. Borg`s legal and political career extends over the past thirty-five years. Prof. Borg has been lecturing in public law at the University of Malta since 1989 for the past 35 years. He is currently Associate Professor of Public Law and his field of expertise is human rights law under Maltese constitutional law, and court scrutiny of government ‘s actions under Administrative law. Prof. Borg was elected to the Maltese House of Representatives in 1992 He served in the House for twenty years . In 1995, at age 38 he was appointed Minister for Home Affairs. He served in this position until 1996, and then again between 1998 and 2008. During this ten-year period he also served as Minister of Justice covering other portfolios such as urban planning, management of State property and the Environment. In 2004 he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Representatives. In 2008, he was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs . In November 2012 he was appointed European Commissioner responsible for health and consumer policy a post which he held until the end of his term in October 2014.
Publications
In 2016 Prof. Borg published A Commentary on the Constitution of Malta the first in depth study of the Maltese constitution and the only textbook on the subject. In 2019 he published Leading cases in Maltese Constitutional Law, along with a short comment on each judgment contained in the book. In March 2020 he published his third book “ Judicial Review of Administrative Action in Malta , a study of how the Courts have penned the Executive within the parameters of the law along the years , Since 2020 he has published Leading Cases in Administrative Law,(2020) Maltese Administrative Law (2021) The Blue Sisters Saga A legal and factual analysis (2022) and The Arturo Mercieca Court -A Legal Analysis (2023) .
Dr. Helena Dalli
Dr. Helena Dalli is the first EU Commissioner for Equality.Her role is to deliver on the Union of Equality chapter within the Political Guidelines of President von der Leyen, by strengthening Europe’s commitment to equality and inclusion in all of its senses. Prior to taking her role as Commissioner, Dr Helena Dalli held various political roles in Malta including Member of Parliament (1996 to 2019), Minister for European Affairs and Equality (2017 to 2019), and Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties (2013-2017). She was also opposition Shadow Minister for public administration, equality, public broadcasting, and national investments (1998-2013) and Junior Minister for Women's Rights in the Office of Prime Minister (1996-1998). Dr Helena Dalli holds a PhD in Political Sociology from the University of Nottingham, and lectured in Economic and Political Sociology, Public Policy, and Sociology of Law at the University of Malta.
Mr Karmenu Vella graduated in Architecture and Civil Engineering from the University of Malta and later obtained a Master of Science in Tourism Management from the University of Sheffield. During his political career, he has been appointed Minister for Public Works, Minister for Industry, and Minister for Tourism twice. In 2014, he was appointed European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs, and Fisheries. During his term in office, Mr. Vella addressed some of the most pressing environmental issues of our time and thus helped improve the well-being of our citizens and our planet. Under his leadership, the European Union adopted and implemented in full the Circular Economy Action Plan, adopted new rules to reduce single-use plastic products, updated the EU’s waste legislation, and stepped up action to improve air quality across Europe and to make concrete progress in halting the decline of the EU’s biodiversity. During his mandate, Karmenu Vella also developed a leading international role for the European Union in the field of ocean governance, promoted the blue economy through increased investment, and worked to improve the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of fisheries in Europe and around the world
Panel 3
Rebecca Azzopardi is 25 years old and an alumni of the Institute for European Studies. During her time at the Institute for European Studies, Rebecca served for 3 terms within the European Studies Organisation (ESO) as an Academic Officer, Financial Officer and President. She also served for 1 term as a Student Representative on the Board for the Institute for European Studies. Rebecca has just completed her Masters degree in European Politics, Economics and Law and has been working full-time for 2 years within the Planning and Priorities Coordination Division (PPCD), the Managing Authority for EU funds in Malta.
Bernice Bonello graduated from the University of Malta with a B. in European Studies and continued her studies with a Masters in Human Rights law and is now a second-year student studying law. During her studies she has been an active student, not just at university where she was student representative and President of the European Studies Organisation, but also in politics where she was part of the youth wing of the Nationalist Party. Today she is a member of the Maltese parliament, having been elected in March 2022 representing the 2nd and 4th Districts within the Nationalist Party. She is the shadow Minister for Youths and the Creation of Open Spaces and is also part of the Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of the Mediterranean (PA UFM).
Daniela Marotta is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Human Rights Law and Practice within the Faculty of Law, after having completed her Bachelor's Degree in European Studies in 2023. Ms. Marotta has been a member of the European Studies Organisation (ESO) for three years and is currently serving as President of ESO.
Miirko Sant is a 21-year-old student and in his final year at the Institute of European Studies. Alongside his studies, he founded Leħnek, Malta's largest youth political platform on social media. His deep-rooted passion for the European project as well as local and international politics propels him forward in his pursuit to actively engage and contribute to the discourse and development of the European project, as well as to advocate for meaningful change within the local and international political spheres.
Emanuel Zammit is a graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in European Studies from the University of Malta, and a Masters graduate in International Politics and Diplomacy from the University of Leicester, with a strong interest in National and European affairs. His studies focused on the European Parliament's voting across parties and the EU & Russia relationship, throughout the years.
He is currently working as a Director of Recruitment Services and is serving the Iklin Local Council as a councillor.
Rebecca Zammit is the Head of the EU Projects Department at AcrossLimits, a Maltese SME that seeks to address social challenges via collaborative, trans-European research and innovation. She is responsible for the overall coordination and effective implementation of AcrossLimits' ongoing EU projects. As a Project Manager, she specialises in projects relating to gender equality and education and training, such as Women TechEU and WINBLUE, two projects that focus on gendered barriers in deep tech and the blue economy, respectively. Her passion for creating meaningful social impact through EU projects started whilst still at the University of Malta, in her time with JEF Malta (2016-2018), when she led the implementation of two national Erasmus+ projects. After obtaining her BA in European Studies (Hons) in 2018 and her MA in European Public Affairs from Maastricht University in 2019, she began her formal career in EU funding, working as an EU Funding Executive with Servizzi Ewropej f'Malta until 2022.
