COREPER, the permanent representatives of EU member states, have approved Leo Brincat's nomination as Malta's representative in the European Court of Auditors.

This news comes two weeks after the European Parliament had rejected his nomination with a vote of 381 against, 229 in favour and 58 abstentions. The MEP's vote was the second of three stages needed for the Maltese nominee to be confirmed to serve at the ECA.

Former Minister Leo Brincat had only managed to scrape through the grilling by the Committee for Budgetary Control of the EU with 11 votes against, 9 against and one abstention. This newsroom had then revealed that it was Alfred Sant's vote that managed to save Dr Brincat, as the head of the PL delegation in Brussels, was called to substitute a member of the committee.

It was at this same budgetary committee stage that Malta's first candidate for the post, Toni Abela, failed.

The Council of Ministers of the European Union is expected to confirm Brincat's nomination on 29 September.