Karmenu Vella is the European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. He was born in Malta in June 1950. He graduated in Architecture and Civil Engineering, and later obtained a Master of Science in Tourism Management from the University of Sheffield. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 and continued to be re-elected nine consecutive times in the elections that followed. Over the course of his political career, he has been appointed Minister for Public Works, Minister for Industry and Minister for Tourism twice, and has also held various senior posts in the private sector.
