Therese Comodini Cachia

Therese Comodini Cachia
MEP
Member of the European Parliament for Malta
Assumed office
July 1, 2014
Personal details
Born (1973-02-23) February 23, 1973 Attard, Malta
Nationality Maltese
Political party Partit Nazzjonalista
Spouse(s) Vladimiro Comodini
Alma mater University of Malta
Profession Lawyer

Therese Comodini Cachia (born February 23, 1973) is a Maltese lawyer and politician currently representing Malta in the European Parliament.

Education

Comodini Cachi attended the University of Malta, where she earned two postgraduate degrees. She earned her Doctor of Law (LLD) in 1997, and later went on to finish her PhD in Human Rights Law in 2012.

Professional Career

Therese Comodini Cachia is a lawyer by profession working in the field of human rights. She has represented victims of human rights violations since 1997 at multiple levels, through court proceedings at the Superior Courts of Malta as well as at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Her clients have included private individuals, commercial entities, government agencies, as well as legislatively constituted bodies.

In her law career she has acted as the legal advisor and advisor for several non-governmental organisations in Malta, including the Scout Association of Malta, the Maltese Confederation of Women Organizations, and the Mental Health Association of Malta.

From 2008-2010 she advised and consulted the National Commissioner for Equality (NCPE) in the Maltese government on the nature of European law and equality directives, assisted investigations on employment discrimination, and aided a variety of other research projects.

Comodini Cachia is currently a lecturer at the University of Malta teaching Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, and International Human Rights Law. She also coordinates the Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation degree at the university.[1] She has previously served as visiting lecturer at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Viadrina European University in Frankfurt, Germany.

Political Career

Comodini Cachia is a member of the Partit Nazzjonalista (Nationalist Party) in Malta, and has actively participated in the party during her lifetime. She is often seen as a point of reference for the parliamentary group having contributed to a number of positions, including amendments to the Constitution of Malta.[2] She first contested for political office in the general elections for the Parliament of Malta in March, 2013 but was not elected.

Following a change in leadership in the Nationalist Party in 2013, she was appointed as a member of the PN's Commission for the Revision of the Statute and Party Structures. She was also appointed as chairperson of the Candidate's Forum - a PN organisation dedicated to party outreach with the general public.[3]

Before her election to the European Parliament, Comodini Cachia helped represent the Nationalist Party in a constitutional case against the Maltese Electoral Commission regarding disparity in the vote-counting process in the general elections of 2013 [4] After a mistake in vote counting was challenged in court, she helped advocate for the PN during the lengthy and detailed legal process.

In May, 2014 Comodini Cachia was elected Member of the European Parliament. In the 2014 European elections in Malta, the Nationalist Party earned just over 40% of the national vote and captured three of Malta's six European seats. This marked the first time the PN was able to capture three seats in the European Parliament - the final seat won by Comodini Cachia.[5] As an MEP, she sits with the Group of the European People's Party.

She currently serves as a member on three committees/delegations and as a substitute on three additional committees/delegations in the European Parliament. Comodini Cachia is a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), the delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, and the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean. She is a substitute member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), and the delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China.[6] Comodini Cachia also co-chairs the EU Diabetes Working Group in the Parliament.[7]

Since her election as MEP, Comodini Cachia has taken on additional leadership roles in her home country. In October, 2014 Nationalist Party and opposition leader Simon Busuttil appointed her coordinator of the party's Policy Fora in Malta,[8] and in January, 2015 Busuttil went on to appoint her as the PN's Shadow Minister for Education and Employment.[9]

Publications

Comodini Cachia has presented her research and reports on subjects related to human rights (focusing on Malta) to multiple European sources. She contributed to various publications of the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) of the European Union with a variety of works on trafficking of minors, racism, xenophobia, discrimination, protection of information, mental health, illegal immigration, and repatriation.[10] Comodini Cachia also presented reports on discrimination at work, on the basis of race, belief, or sexual orientation. She has published articles in the Human Rights Brief journal of American University's Washington College of Law, and also for the European Group of Public Law.[11]

Decorations

In 2008, Therese Comodini Cachia was awarded the annual Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) award by Malta's Junior Chamber International (JCI) in two different categories - in Children, World Peace, and Human Rights, as well as in Political, Legal, and Government Affairs.[12]

In March 2016, Comodini Cachia was named MEP of the Year by The Parliament Magazine in the field of corporate governance.[13] The award was her first in Brussels, and the magazine stated that "Comodini Cachia has been praised for the enthusiasm and passion she brings to her work. She is dedicated to enhancing Maltese civil society’s involvement in EU policymaking."[14]

Personal life

Comodini Cachia is married to Vladimiro. The two have a daughter Laura and reside in Siġġiewi, Malta.

References

  1. ↑ "Dr Therese Comodini Cachia - University of Malta". www.um.edu.mt. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  2. ↑ "Updated: Opposition presents Constitutional amendment against sexual orientation discrimination". Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  3. ↑ "Se jitwaqqaf forum tal-kandidati u eks deputati tal-PN". Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  4. ↑ "‘AG should not be part of election court case’". Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  5. ↑ "Comodini Cachia snatches third seat for the PN in historic vote for women.". Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  6. ↑ "Therese COMODINI CACHIA". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  7. ↑ "European Coalition for Diabetes (ECD) - EUDWG". www.ecdiabetes.eu. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  8. ↑ "Policy Fora". Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  9. ↑ "MEPs chosen as shadow ministers say EP work will not be jeopardised - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  10. ↑ "Legal Study on Homophobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Human Rights Brief - Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law - Washington College of Law". www.wcl.american.edu. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  12. ↑ "Therese Comodini Cachia". www.theresecomodinicachia.com. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  13. ↑ "Comodini Cachia, Metsola and Dalli honoured at prestigious MEP awards - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  14. ↑ "Winners | MEP Awards". www.mepawards.eu. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
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