John Dalli hopes tobacco products directive will retain its punch

Former EU health commissioner John Dalli has called for the Tobacco Products Directive he was spearheading before his resignation, to retain its punch as his successor prepares to deliver a revised version for January 2013.

In a piece he penned for the Brussels-based The Parliament magazine, Dalli said he hoped the directive would be "as effective" as he left it when he resigned on 16 October, after an investigation by the anti-fraud unit OLAF found "circumstantial evidence" that he was aware of a €60 million bribe to seek a reversal on the EU ban on the sale of snus tobacco.

The directive, which was paused from inter-service consultations last month following Dalli's resignation, was not finalised in time for its legislation in February.

"I am pleased that a sense of urgency surrounding the directive has taken over in parliament. I trust that if the directive is in fact launched in January, parliament will ensure its fast passage.

"I have been asking from the outset for the tobacco directive programme not to be interrupted, and I have strongly solicited parliament to ensure that the revision of the tobacco directive is implemented within this legislature. It seems that this has not been in vain.

"I [also] trust that the directive that will be launched will not have lost its punch."

The anti-tobacco lawwhich Dalli pushed was aimed at persuading younger citizens not to start smoking, reducing the attraction of smoking and motivating existing smoking addicts to quit.

Dalli also said that he had not yet been given a copy of the OLAF report that prompted his resignation, and pointined out that the report was passed on to Commission president Josè Manuel Barroso and the Maltese Attorney General before it could be properly reviewed by the supervisory committee set up to scrutinise OLAF.

"I still do not know what the circumstantial evidence upon which OLAF has based its conclusions, and on which conclusions Barroso took his decisions. I am planning legal action for defamation and breach of civil rights and that is what I'm concentrating on at the moment. As of yet, I have not given any thought to any initiatives I could take in the future on the political front."

I am pleased that a sense of urgency surrounding the directive has taken over in parliament. I trust that if the directive is in fact launched in January, parliament will ensure its fast passage. The Irish presidency are very keen to pilot this proposal in the council when they take the helm in January and are expecting the directive to be given to them at the start of the presidency.

I also trust that the directive that will be launched will not have lost its punch.

With regard to the events on 16 October, I would like to state that, to date, I still have not been given a copy of the report prepared by Olaf. It was passed on to Barroso and the Maltese authority before it was properly reviewed by the supervisory committee set up to scrutinise Olaf's respect for human rights and procedures. I still do not know what the circumstantial evidence upon which Olaf has based its conclusions, and on which conclusions Barroso took his decisions.

I am planning legal action for defamation and breach of civil rights and that is what I'm concentrating on at the moment. As of yet, I have not given any thought to any initiatives I could take in the future on the political front.