Tonio Borg plays down talk of European Parliament candidature for 2014

European Commissioner Tonio Borg has played down rumours that he will be contesting the European Parliament elections for 2014.

Borg replaced former commissioner John Dalli as head of the EC's health and consumer affairs portfolio, after the former Nationalist minister was asked to resign by Commission president José Manuel Barroso over an investigation by the EU's anti-fraud office.

The OLAF investigation claimed Dalli was aware of a bribery attempt, but the Maltese police says there is no evidence to press charges against Dalli.

Borg, formerly deputy prime minister in the last Nationalist administration, will stay on as commissioner until 2014 - when a new EC president is expected to be chosen, and with that a new Commission.

The Labour government may be expected to nominate its own commissioner to Brussels, possibly kicking upstairs government veterans like foreign minister George Vella. The post carries a €20,000 monthly salary and a handsome pension.

Asked by MaltaToday whether he was approached to contest the elections, the commissioner said he was "fully concentrated" on his work as Commissioner, which amongst other bones of contention included the maligned Tobacco Products Directive that killed Dalli's career in the EC. "I want to conclude the things I started here," Borg said.

Pressed to say whether he was interested in contesting the next European elections, which will see former Labour prime minister Alfred Sant contest, Borg reiterated that he was "concentrating" on his work but that nobody had approached him to contest.

Borg has not ruled out running for MEP. "I am concentrating on my work here and I would like to conclude the things I have started. Nobody has approached me to run for MEP."

He also said that his swearing-in as European Commission will take place next month in Luxembourg.