John Dalli is the
European CommissionerA European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...
for Health and Consumer Policy and a former
Maltese politicianThe politics of Malta takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malta is the constitutional head of state. Executive Authority is vested in the President of Malta with the general direction and control of the Government of Malta...
who served as Cabinet Minister in various Maltese governments between 1987 and 2010.
Maltese politics
Dalli was first elected to the
House of Representatives of MaltaThe House of Representatives is the unicameral legislature of Malta and a component of the Parliament of Malta.The House is composed of an odd number of members elected for a five year term...
in
1987The election using single transferable vote gave a majority of the 65 district seats to the MLP, despite a majority of votes going to the PN, so the PN were given four bonus seats to ensure a majority reflecting the popular vote.-Results:...
on behalf of the
Nationalist PartyThe Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
and since then he has been re-elected in five successive elections: in
1992,
1996The election using single transferable vote gave a majority of the 65 district seats to the PN, despite a majority of votes going to the MLP, so the MLP were given four bonus seats to ensure a majority reflecting the popular vote.-Results:...
,
1998,
2003General elections were held in Malta on 12 April 2003. They were won by the Nationalist Party on a pro-EU platform....
and
2008The latest Maltese general election for the renewal of the House of Representatives of Malta was held on March 8, 2008. The incumbent ruling party the Christian democratic Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, narrowly won over the social democratic Malta Labour Party led by...
. He has served as Parliamentary Secretary for Industry (1987–1990), Minister of Economic Affairs (1990–92), Minister of Finance (1992–1996, 1998–2004) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion (2004). During his tenure at the Ministry of Finance (the longest in Maltese political history) Dalli is best remembered for his modernisation of the taxation system through the introduction of
VATVat or VAT may refer to:* A type of container such as a barrel, storage tank, or tub, often constructed of welded sheet stainless steel, and used for holding, storing, and processing liquids such as milk, wine, and beer...
in 1994 and again in 1998.
From 1987 to 1996 and from 1996 to 2004 Dalli served as co-chairman of the Libyan-Maltese Joint Commission, during which time he led the renegotiation of all political and economic agreements between Malta and Libya to bring them in line with the EU acquis.
In February 2004 Dalli contested the election for the leadership of the Nationalist Party but lost to
Lawrence GonziLawrence Gonzi is a Maltese politician who has been Prime Minister of Malta since 2004. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta from 1988 to 1996, Minister of Social Policy from 1998 to 1999, and Deputy Prime Minister from 1999 to 2004...
who was appointed Prime Minister. In the new Cabinet Dalli was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion. However, he resigned after serving for only three months from April to July 2004, citing attacks by members of his own party, following allegations into awards of contracts for medical equipment and airline ticketing.. All allegations against him were proved false, by the auditor general and by the police. The person who appeared as the author of the allegations was sentence for two years in prison. Dalli remained a backbench MP. In 2007 the Prime Minister, after admitting that accusations against Dalli had been disproven, appointed Dalli as a personal consultant.
Dalli was re-elected to the House of Representatives in the
March 2008 general electionThe latest Maltese general election for the renewal of the House of Representatives of Malta was held on March 8, 2008. The incumbent ruling party the Christian democratic Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, narrowly won over the social democratic Malta Labour Party led by...
and returned to the Cabinet as Minister for Social Policy. His portfolio included health, employment and industrial relations.
Joe CassarJoe Cassar is a Maltese politician currently serving as Minister for Health, The Elderly and Community Care.-Education:His education was at St. Aloysius College and then at the University of Malta. He graduated as a doctor on 1990....
and Mario Galea were appointed Parliamentary Secretaries for Health and for the Elderly and Community Care respectively to assist him..
He resigned as Minister and as Member of Parliament on 10 February 2010 on his appointment as
European CommissionerA European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...
.
European Commissioner
Dalli was appointed European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy in the second mandate of the
Barroso CommissionThe Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 2014. Its president is José Manuel Barroso, who presides over 26 other commissioners...
where he was given the Health and Consumer Policy portfolio.
As with his tenure as Maltese Minister, he has been subject to a number of controversies. Some of the most notable included authorisations regarding the genetically modified
AmfloraAmflora is a genetically modified potato owned by BASF Plant Science. Amflora was approved for industrial applications in the European Union market on 2 March 2010 by the European Commission.-History:...
, the publication of a diary for schools which included holidays of various religions except for Christian holidays and, during the 2011 Libyan uprising, when he made pro-Gaddafi remarks. These remarks were attributed to the various business interests and links Dalli had in Libya and put him out-of-step with President Barroso. He had to issue an apology.
Private sector
Qualified as an accountant, Dalli worked in the private sector in Malta and abroad, both in industry and as an independent consultant. His consultancy business was dormant during his tenure in the Maltese Cabinet and was reactivated in 2004 (when Dalli a backbencher) with an office in
TripoliTripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
and specialising in consultancy in Libya. At this time Dalli was also a director of glass manufacturing company in Libya. In 2008, on resuming politics, he quit the directorships and handed over the consultancy to his daughter.
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