The European Parliament (EP) approved Tonio Borg to replace Malta’s John Dalli, who resigned as European Union health and consumer policy commissioner amid allegations of impropriety.

Borg in a secret ballot 21 Nov of the full parliament garnered 386 votes to 281 against the nomination and 28 abstentions, the European Parliament said in a statement. Borg should receive final approval from the Council in the next days, paving the way for a transition as Maltese deputy prime minister and foreign secretary to the post in Brussels.
Dalli resigned after an internal EU investigation uncovered evidence he knew about an associate’s attempts to obtain money from snus maker Swedish Match in return for influencing EU tobacco legislation. The EU requires disclosure of bribery attempts. (ci)