John Dalli, the Maltese member of the European Commission, has resigned with immediate effect as the European commissioner for health and consumer policy.

The European Commission this afternoon released a statement saying that the Maltese commissioner had resigned following an investigation by OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud office. OLAF was investigating a complaint made in May by Swedish Match, a tobacco firm, which alleged that a Maltese entrepreneur had tried to affect legislation, particularly relating to the EU’s ban on the export of snus, a smoke-free tobacco used widely in Sweden.

The statement said that the OLAF report, which was sent to the Commission yesterday (15 October) “found that the Maltese entrepreneur had approached the company using his contacts with Mr Dalli and sought to gain financial advantages in exchange for influence over a possible future legislative proposal on snus”.

The statement goes on: “No transaction was concluded between the company and the entrepreneur and no payment was made. The OLAF report did not find any conclusive evidence of the direct participation of Mr Dalli but did consider that he was aware of these events.”

Dalli, who held the posts of foreign minister and finance minister in centre-right Nationalist governments in Malta, rejects the allegations against him.

In a statement, he said the evidence against him was “circumstantial”, adding: “I am taking all action open to me to ensure that these unfounded conclusions will be proved completely false.”

His resignation is the first by an individual commissioner for reasons of impropriety (others have resigned early, to take up ministerial appointments, for example). The Santer Commission resigned in 1999 en masse after Edith Cresson, who was tainted by nepotism allegations, could not be persuaded to resign individually. Reforms made since then make it easier for the president to exact an individual commissioner’s resignation.

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said that Maroš Šefcovic, who is the European commissioner for inter-institutional relations and administration, will take over Dalli’s portfolio until a new commissioner is chosen. The replacement will be nominated by the Maltese government, and will face a hearing before the European Parliament, before the appointment is approved by the Council.

Fact File

Statement by John Dalli, the European commissioner for health:

“This afternoon I was informed verbally by the president of the Commission of the conclusion of an OLAF investigation about an alleged attempt to influence my decisions in respect of the ongoing review of the Tobacco Directive.

“Even though the OLAF report states that there is no evidence of my direct participation in these events and that the decision-making process of the Commission services had not been influenced in any way, OLAF concluded that I was aware of these events basing themselves ONLY on circumstantial evidence.

“I deny categorically that I was in any way aware of any of these events.

“I am taking all action open to me to ensure that these unfounded conclusions will be proved completely false.

“I will continue to work so that all efforts made by myself and my services to revise the Tobacco Directive will proceed as planned.”

Click here to read European Voice’s profile of John Dalli.

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