Karmenu Vella
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| Karmenu Vella | |
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| European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries | |
| Assumed office 1 November 2014 |
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| President | Jean-Claude Juncker |
| Preceded by | Janez Potočnik (Environment) Maria Damanaki (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 June 1950 Żurrieq, Malta |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Alma mater | University of Malta Sheffield Hallam University |
| Website | Official website |
Karmenu Vella is a Maltese politician. He is one of the longest serving Maltese Parliamentarian with the Malta Labour Party.
Contents
Biography
He was born on 19 June 1950, in Zurrieq and is the eldest of three children. Vella lived in Zurrieq for 33 years from 1950 till 1983. He now lives in Birzebbugia with his wife Marianne née’ Buhagiar [BA(Hons.)]. The couple have two sons, John married to Miriam Dalli (M.E.P), and Philip married to Rania née’ Mamo. He is also a grandfather of two, Adam and Jack.[1]
Education
After his primary education in Zurrieq and his secondary education at the Lyceum Secondary School, he attended his pre-tertiary education at the University of Malta's Junior College till 1968. He attended the Royal University of Malta where he was conferred with a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies in 1970, and then graduated as an Architect and Civil Engineer in 1973. Between 1998 and 2000 he studied at Sheffield Hallam University where he was awarded a Master of Science degree in Tourism.
Political career
Labour Party
Karmenu Vella has had a long and distinguished service in the Labour Party (Malta). He started with the Labour Party in 1968 as a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Youth Movement and later a member of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). More recently, apart from being a member on the Labour Party's National Executive, Karmenu Vella held the post of Member and Group Co-ordinator for the Labour Party Parliamentary Group. In 2011 he was in charge of the electoral programme for the Maltese Labour Party for the 2013 general elections.
Parliament and national government
In 1968, at the age of 18, he was elected as the youngest member of the Zurrieq Civic Council until 1970. In 1976 he contested the general elections for the first time and was elected as the youngest Member of Parliament and since then he has continued serving as a Maltese Parliamentarian for thirty eight uninterrupted years as a Labour Member of Parliament. During his Parliamentary term in government, Vella has been nominated Minister for four times during the Labour Party Government. He was Minister for Public Works between 1981 and 1984, Minister for Industry from 1984 till 1987, Minister for Tourism between 1996 and 1998 and was again appointed as Tourism Minister in March 2013 until his nomination as EU Commissioner Designate in 2014. During his Parliamentary term in opposition, he served both as Shadow Minister for Tourism as well as Shadow Minister for Finance.
Professional career
During his professional career, Karmenu Vella has held a number of managerial and directorship posts. In 1973 he started his own private practice as an Architect and Civil Engineer, and during that same year he was appointed a director until 1976 on Mid Med Bank - Malta. In 1974 he joined the Libyan Arab Maltese Holding Company as its Managing Director until 1981. During that period he also served as a Director on a number of the Company's subsidiaries which included: Mediterranean Aviation Co Ltd., Medelec Switchgear Co Ltd., Mediterranean Power Electric Co Ltd., Rotos Zirayia Pumps Co Ltd., and Plastic Processing Co Ltd. In 2001 he was appointed Executive Chairman of Corinthia Hotels International till 2007 and then Executive Chairman of Corinthia's Mediterranean Construction Co Ltd., up to 2010. In 2010 he joined Betfair Group Ltd. as a director and sat on SMS-Mondial Travel Group's Board as Chairman until 2013.
Non-profit organisations
In 2007 Karmenu Vella was the founding Chairman of the Maltese Turkish Business Council. Between 2007 and 2013 he was appointed a member of the Vodafone Malta Foundation.[2]
Sports and cultural organisations
Karmenu has been very active in sports and cultural activities. He has been for a number of years the Honorary President for Birzebbugia Aquatic Sports Club, Honorary President for Zurrieq Bocci Club and Honorary President for Queen Victoria Band Club, Zurrieq.
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Profile: Mr Karmenu Vella. Ministry for Tourism.
External links
- Mediterranean Aviation Co Ltd
- Medelec Switchgear Co Ltd.
- Mediterranean Power Electric Co Ltd.
- Corinthia Hotels International.
- Corinthia's Mediterranean Construction Co Ltd.
- Betfair Group Ltd.
- SMS Mondial Travel Group.
- Maltese Turkish Business Council
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Maltese European Commissioner 2014–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by as European Commissioner for Environment | European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries 2014–present |
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| Preceded by as European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries | ||
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European Parliament group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
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