Brussels, 22/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 22 October, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, met the Maltese Foreign Minister, Tonio Borg, who has been appointed by Malta to replace John Dalli. Suspected of having sold his influence, the latter stepped down last week from his post as Commissioner for Health, Food Safety and Consumer Protection (see EUROPE 10711).
The former commissioner spoke out strongly against the circumstances of this resignation: it is believed that he did not offer his resignation but that Barroso suggested that he do so; he claims that he only had 30 minutes to think about it and had no access to the report by the European anti-fraud office (OLAF). Despite these grey areas, the Commission wants to move quickly to fill the vacant post with a new Maltese commissioner and keep its commitment to present proposed European anti-smoking legislation by the end of the year. “As far as we are concerned, the question of resignation is behind us”, one of its spokespersons said. The Commission stressed that on the basis of the conclusions of the OLAF report put forward to the competent Maltese judiciary, keeping Dalli in his post had become “politically untenable”.
Whilst the Maltese justice system has not found Dalli guilty, the Commission considers him to be innocent. It will pay him a lump sum to arrange his return and transition compensation (45% of his salary) until the Maltese official finds a new job or reaches retirement age, which is 65 years. Dalli turns 65 in a few weeks' time. According to European legislation (article 8 of regulation 420/79), pension rights stand at 4.2% of base salary, plus a sum related to the time the former commissioner spent in office (two and a half years). In total, Dalli's pension will be 11.4% of his salary, according to the Commission, unless he is found guilty, as was the case with the former French commissioner Edith Cresson. (MB/transl.fl)