A seasoned Maltese diplomat will head Commissioner-designate John Dalli's team in Brussels, but former Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Harry Vassallo has denied he will also join the outgoing Social Policy Minister.
Mr Dalli, who is engaged in back-to-back meetings with top Commission officials and MEPs while familiarising himself with the Health and Consumer Policy dossier, has already selected his top strategic advisers. Joanna Darmanin, outgoing Commissioner Joe Borg's deputy head of cabinet, will join Mr Dalli as chef de cabinet, a clear sign of continuity.
Dr Borg was considered to be one of the most successful members in European Commission President José Manuel Barroso's first team of commissioners. Ms Darmanin, who worked for Mr Dalli during his brief tenure as Foreign Affairs Minister in 2004, was also in the private secretariat of Dr Borg during the delicate phase of Malta's EU accession negotiations. She was also former President Guido de Marco's diplomatic adviser.
Nationalist MEP candidate Edward Demicoli, who served as deputy head of the Malta-EU Information Centre before Malta's accession and is currently working at the Commission's delegation office in Malta, will also be joining Mr Dalli in Brussels.
Mr Demicoli is regarded as an expert in EU affairs, particularly in areas related to consumer protection and agriculture. He has already relinquished his post in Malta and was transferred to Brussels to take care of Mr Dalli's preparations to face the MEPs' grilling at the European Parliament scheduled for the beginning of January.
However, Dr Vassallo, who was being touted as the third Maltese member of the Dalli cabinet, has denied rumours that he is leaving his current job as editor of the Illum newspaper.
When contacted, Dr Vassallo categorically denied the speculation. "I have no intention of joining Mr Dalli's team in Brussels at this point in time," he replied. Pressed to state whether this means he will be joining Mr Dalli at a later stage, he said he had no intention of doing so.
The Sunday Times is informed that Mr Dalli offered Dr Vassallo, who has good connections in Brussels particularly with the Greens, a post in his Brussels team. However, when contacted, Mr Dalli said: "This is not your business."
Before assuming his new role in Mr Barroso's team, Mr Dalli will first have to pass a litmus test in the EP where MEPs test the designated commissioners on their abilities to steer the EU's agenda for the following five years.
A final vote on the second Barroso Commission is expected to be taken by MEPs during a special plenary session in Brussels on January 26.