John Dalli honours former PN leader in Urbino

European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli held a keynote speech in Urbino, Italy to celebrate the centenary from the graduation of former Nationalist Party leader Enrico Mizzi, who read law at the University of Urbino.

Dalli said "I am extremely pleased and honoured to be present in this inauguration and be able to commemorate a politician that not only has given a great contribution to the development of my country but who also presents a political standard that is to be followed."

"Enrico is a beacon of political rectitude where power was secondary to values," Dalli said of the first post-war Prime Minister.

Dalli's presence at an event commemorating one of the Nationalist Party's founding fathers contrasts with the frosty relationship the EU commissioner has with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and the PN's hierarchy. The relations between the two turned sour after Dalli's resignation in 2004 over kickback allegations that later turned out to be false.

The EU commissioner described Mizzi as a patriot who believed that "Malta, though small, could stand on its own feet with its own character and identity, develop a sound caring society, achieve economic viability and be a relevant partner in the international sphere."

Dalli noted that Mizzi was a man with "a vision of an Independent Malta determining its own future.  This vision was his mission which he pushed with tenacity and fervour even when confronted with exile and persecution. This adversity did not generate any alacricity in Enrico Mizzi.  He pushed his vision with dignity and integrity."

Enrico Mizzi affectionately known as Nerik read law at the Universities of La Sapienza, Rome and in Urbino, from where he obtained his LL.D. degree in 1912.

In 1921 Nerik Mizzi formed the Partito Democratico Nazionalista. In 1924, Mizzi's party formed a coalition government with the Unione Politica Maltese. In 1926 the two parties merged and became known as the Nationalist Party with Mizzi and Sir Ugo Mifsud as co-leaders.

In 1942, during the war Mizzi was exiled to Uganda together with 46 other Maltese by the colonial government for his close ties with Benito Mussollini's fascist regime.

After his return from exile at the end of World War II, Mizzi was elected as Prime Minister in 1950. He died just three months after becoming the first post-war Prime Minister.

In Urbino - a World Heritage Site- EU commissioner Dalli also addressed a round table conference entitled "Health, Quality of Life and Sustainable Development" organised by the Senate of the "Universita degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo" in Palazzo Battiferri.