Tonio Borg
| Tonio Borg | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| European Commissioner for Health | |
| In office 1 July 2013 – 1 November 2014 |
|
| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Himself (Health and Consumer Policy) |
| Succeeded by | Vytenis Andriukaitis (Health and Food Safety) |
| European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy | |
| In office 28 November 2012 – 1 July 2013 |
|
| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Maroš Šefčovič (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Himself (Health) Neven Mimica (Consumer Protection) |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Malta | |
| In office 23 March 2004 – 28 November 2012 |
|
| Prime Minister | Lawrence Gonzi |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Gonzi |
| Succeeded by | Simon Busuttil |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 12 March 2008 – 28 November 2012 |
|
| Prime Minister | Lawrence Gonzi |
| Preceded by | Michael Frendo |
| Succeeded by | Francis Zammit Dimech |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 15 April 2003 – 12 March 2008 |
|
| Prime Minister | Eddie Fenech Adami Lawrence Gonzi |
| Preceded by | Austin Gatt |
| Succeeded by | Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici |
| Minister of Home Affairs | |
| In office 8 September 1998 – 12 March 2008 |
|
| Prime Minister | Eddie Fenech Adami Lawrence Gonzi |
| Preceded by | Alfred Sant |
| Succeeded by | Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici |
| In office 17 April 1995 – 28 October 1996 |
|
| Prime Minister | Eddie Fenech Adami |
| Preceded by | Louis Galea |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Sant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 May 1957 Floriana, Malta |
| Political party | Nationalist Party |
| Spouse(s) | Adele Galea |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Malta |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Tonio Borg (born 12 May 1957) is a Maltese politician who was the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy replacing John Dalli as member of the College of the European Commission in the second Barroso Commission.[1] Borg is ultra-conservative and a fundamental Roman Catholic.[2][3]
Contents
Education and career
Borg studied law at the University of Malta. As a university student he was active in the Maltese Christian Democrat Student organisation and a member of the University Students' Council. He was also a member of the youth section of the Nationalist Party holding various posts including that of President and Secretary General.
Borg graduated as a Doctor in Laws in 1979. He was called to the bar in 1980, practicing law for fifteen years, specialising in human rights cases. Between 1990 and 1995 he served as member of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
Borg holds the post of lecturer in public law at the University of Malta.
He was also a Director of Mid-Med Bank (nowadays HSBC Bank Malta) between 1987 and 1992.
Maltese politics
Borg was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1992 general election in the interest of the Nationalist Party. During this period as a backbencher he was also member of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (1992–95), board member of the Maltese Planning Authority (1992–95) and member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee between the European and Maltese parliaments (1992–95).
He was appointed Minister of Home Affairs in April 1995, serving until October 1996 when his Party was voted out of office in the general election of that year. In opposition, Borg was appointed Party Spokesman for Home Affairs from October 1996 to September 1998 and again a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee between the European and Maltese parliaments (1996–98).
Following his party's victory at the 1998 general election, Borg returned to his previous post as Minister of Home Affairs. This portfolio included, amongst other things, local government, environment and urban planning and management of state properties. He was also responsible for immigration at the time when a large number of irregular migrants started arriving by boat from Libya.[4]
Justice was added to Borg's portfolio in April 2003, following his Party's second electoral success in that year's election. When Lawrence Gonzi succeeded Edward Fenech Adami as Prime Minister and Party Leader, Borg successfully contested the post of Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party in March 2004. In light of this he also became Deputy Prime Minister, while remaining Minister of Justice and Home Affairs. Borg also served as Leader of the House of Representatives at that time.
In March 2008, following the Nationalist Party's third electoral success, Borg was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister.[5] He was also reconfirmed as Leader of the House of Representatives, a post he held until 6 January 2012. Following the resignation of his successor, he re-assumed the post of Leader of the House of Representatives later that year.
In view of his appointment as European Commissioner, Borg resigned his post of Deputy Leader of the Party, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and as a Member of Parliament.
Political views
Borg's political views have been described as Christian Democratic inspired by Catholic social teaching. He had proposed to entrench into the Maltese Constitution the sections of the law banning abortion (a criminal offence in Malta).
Nomination as European Commissioner
Following the resignation of John Dalli as European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, the Maltese Government nominated Borg for the post. Borg's nomination was the cause of some controversy due to his political views and he was subject to some tough questioning during his hearing by the Members of the European Parliament. However, the Parliament still voted for his appointment on 21 November and he was formally appointed to the post by the European Council. Borg was sworn in as European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs on November 28, 2012.
As Commissioner, Borg successfully piloted the Tobacco Products Directive through the European Parliament and the Council and in May 2014 WHO awarded him a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his contribution to tobacco control. He also addressed, as promised in his hearing the issue of discrimination in the health sector and re-launched the Cultivation Proposal allowing member states to decide on certain grounds to reject the cultivation of GMO`s on their territories. He also introduced a ban on marketing in the EU of animal tested cosmetics.
References
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/oppositionwatch/TonioBorgFactsheet.asp
- ↑ Joseph St. John, Martha Delicata, Mario Azzopardi, "The Organisation of Asylum and Migration Policies in Malta", National Report 2008 of the National Contact Point of the European Migration Network, Malta, p.11
- ↑ "New Cabinet sworn in", Times of Malta, March 12, 2008.
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Home Affairs 1995–1996 |
Succeeded by Alfred Sant |
| Preceded by | Minister of Home Affairs 1998–2008 |
Succeeded by Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici |
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 2003–2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Malta 2004–2012 |
Succeeded by Simon Busuttil |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 2008–2012 |
Succeeded by Francis Zammit Dimech |
| Preceded by | Maltese European Commissioner 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Karmenu Vella |
| Preceded by | European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy 2012–2013 |
Succeeded by Himself as European Commissioner for Health |
| Succeeded by Neven Mimica as European Commissioner for Consumer Protection |
||
| Preceded by
Himself
as European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy |
European Commissioner for Health 2013–2014 |
Succeeded by Vytenis Andriukaitis as European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party 2004–2012 |
Succeeded by Simon Busuttil |
 |
||
