Nomination of a new European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy

04-12-2009

Mr. John Dalli, from Malta has been appointed as the new European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy. He will take over the position of Mrs. Androula Vassiliou (Cyprus) as soon as the European Parliament approves, as provided for in the Treaty, the constitution of the College of European Commissioners for the next five years (probably at its plenary session of 26/01/09).

Mr. John Dalli is a member of the Nationalist Party of Malta (centre-right). He has worked as an accountant for many Maltese companies, including managing their headquarters in Brussels in the late 1970’s.

The future Commissioner was elected to the Maltese Parliament in 1987 and was re elected four more times in1992, 1996, 1998 and 2003. He became Junior Ministry for Industry in 1987 and Minister for Economic Services in 1990, but he accomplished his most significant political achievements as Minister for Finance from 1992 to 2004. In the current Maltese Government, Mr. Dalli was serving as Minister for Social Policy.

Mr. John Dalli will be supervising the European Commission’s Directorate General on Health and Consumer Policy (SANCO) with new specific responsibilities. In fact, following recommendations from stakeholders from the public health sector, the President of the European Commission Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso, decided to transfer the pharmaceutical policy from Enterprise and Industry Directorate General to the Health and Consumer one. This will have significant consequences on issues such as pharmaceutical and medical device-related policies and on the European Medicines Agency too.

All the newly appointed members of the College of Commissioners will present their vision and projects relating to the five year term they have been nominated for in hearings of the European Parliament the 11th of this coming January. The European Parliament will then vote on these appointments the 26th of the same month.

 The Secretariat will of course keep you updated on the issue.