Ronald Micallef agreed on Tuesday to renounce his Irish citizenship to become Malta’s ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union.
His nomination was debated and approved by the Public Appointments Committee, which met for the first time on Tuesday.
Although the Opposition had no objections to Dr Micallef’s nomination, finding him to be competent, Nationalist MPs Clyde Puli and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici asked about his possession of both Maltese and Irish citizenship, and questioned whether he would be willing to renounce the latter to ensure exclusive loyalty to the Maltese state.
The Opposition also asked for the sole possession of Maltese citizenship to become a requirement for all candidates nominated to ambassadorial roles.
Dr Micallef said that he would have no objection to renouncing his Irish citizenship, explaining that his status as an Irish citizen was only due to a marriage which ended in 2000.
At the request of Foreign Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela, the committee postponed its evaluation of the nomination Stefan Buontempo to a later date.