In memoriam – Lorenzo Vella

It is with great sadness that we announce that Lorenzo Vella, Head of our Representation in Valletta, died on Sunday aged 42, following a brief, albeit hard-fought, battle with illness.

Upon taking office in June 2023, Lorenzo’s leadership was an injection of verve and vision in the smallest Member State’s Representation. Facing a changed social landscape as the first Head since the pandemic, he worked hard to take the European project back to the people, and brought allhands on deck to achieve that goal.

From his start in student activism and presidency of the National Youth Council in the noughties, his career embodied his international and European outlook. He dealt with EU affairs in the Maltese civil service before venturing further afield to Luxembourg for a brief stint at the Court of Auditors, and eventually to Brussels, where he worked as a policy officer with the Commission at DG EMPL, before joining Malta’s Permanent Representation to the EU, where he rose to the rank of Deputy Permanent Representative and was a key player during Malta’s 2017 council presidency.

It was during this time in Brussels that Lorenzo, who with his wife Cheryl was expecting their first child, was injured in the terrorist attacks of March 22, 2016, at Zaventem Airport.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, he became the Maltese health minister’s chief of staff at the height of the pandemic, before moving to Strasbourg to be Malta’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, the post he left to rejoin the Commission in 2023.

One of Lorenzo’s defining features was his openness: to dialogue, to ideas, to people. He listened keenly to the team before making any major decisions, and he carried out an open-door policy which fostered a spirit of collaboration and camaraderie. His openness extended to the political sphere, and he was known for his knack of bringing people together from across the political divide, in the pursuit of his belief that a better Malta would lead to a better Europe. He loved good food and wine, but we mostly saw him drink Coke Zero. A political animal through and through, he loved discussing current affairs, and his knowledge of history and international affairs – bolstered by a healthy diet of Richard Nixon biographies – led him to take a long view of events. He loved Twisted Sister, Inter Milan, and had a soft spot for schmaltzy Italian songs.

In the last months, he focused his energy and drive towards fighting his terminal diagnosis, doggedly pursuing treatment even when the first doctors he consulted had given up on him. The last time we met, he was aware he may have had days, weeks, months or, if he got lucky, maybe years.

What mattered to him was that he did his best, and that his young family knew it.

The treatment bought him time, but this was to be his last battle. On the morning of Sunday, 18 August, Foreign Minister Ian Borg, a close friend of Lorenzo’s, announced his passing. The tributes that poured in, from people in all walks of life, painted a picture of a sharp, warm human being,
loved and respected by those he worked and was close to.

Among those who paid their respects were Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Robert Abela, and countless colleagues from Lorenzo’s colourful career. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who knew him since his days in student activism,said he always strove “to make this world a little bit better for everyone.”

“He never lost sight of that aim, working tirelessly to bring people around the same table. He fought hard and bravely - always.”

He is survived by his wife Cheryl and his children Elija and Yael.

Written by Nicolette Camilleri (SG-RECOVER) and David Schembri (DGT)