EPP leader pledges to get to the truth behind John Dalli’s resignation

The leader of parliament's biggest political group said today that he is determined to "get to the truth" of the circumstances surrounding the resignation of former EU health commissioner John Dalli.

Dalli resigned his post in Brussels last October amid allegations that he was implicated in a possible attempt to alter the EU's tobacco products directive in return for a cash payment.

It was claimed that Silvio Zammit, a former canvasser of Dalli had attempted to seek a €60 million bribe from Swedish smokeless tobacco producer 'Swedish Match' to amend the draft legislation which seeks to introduce tough new controls on tobacco use, including smokeless tobacco.

Dalli has always strenuously denied any involvement and says he was effectively forced to resign his portfolio by commission president José Manuel Barroso.

The police in Malta have meanwhile charged Zammit with bribery and trading in influence after investigating the OLAF case.
But speaking in Strasbourg today, two senior MEPs restated their tacit support for a parliamentary inquiry into the case and the wider issue of lobbying.

Hannes Swoboda, who leads the S&D group, told a news briefing in parliament that, "Parliament should set up a special committee to look into the influence of the tobacco industry on EU policymaking.

"This does not have to deal specifically with the Dalli case because that is still subject to possible legal proceedings in Malta.
"But we need to know how the tobacco industry acts to try and influence EU decision-making and its impact on the commission, EU commissioners and EU civil servants."

The Austrian MEP added, "The EU needs to be looking a lot more at the activities of lobby groups."
His comments were partly echoed by Joseph Daul, who leads the EPP group in parliament.

Speaking at a separate news conference, the French deputy said he was "working hard to ensure that the truth comes out".
Daul pointed out that the possibility of a parliamentary inquiry was debated at a meeting of group leaders in Brussels last Thursday but that no decision had yet been made.

He said parliament had to seek the opinions of Barroso and Giovanni Kessler, who heads Olaf, the EU anti-fraud office.
Daul said, "The last thing we want to do is bury discussion on this case. But we have also got to be careful we do not interfere in the judicial inquiry in Malta. "I also want to know what has happened here and hope we will get to the bottom of it by the end of this year," he said.