The video above, published by neurope.eu, features an interview with former EU Commissioner John Dalli, who resigned yesterday.

Mr Dalli says he was asked to resign by the EU president Jose Manuel Barroso and laments the fact that the Tobacco Directive, which was going to be launched on Monday, will now be in 'suspended animation'.

He also presents an e-mail from the Lobby Group European Smokeless Tobacco Council to restaurateur Silvio Zammit in March which requests a meeting with Mr Dalli against payment. Mr Dalli says Mr Zammit never spoke to him about this e-mail.

Mr Dalli told New Europe that his anti-smoking directive was finalised in February and the dealings between Mr Zammit and the tobacco industry took place around March.

“I have an email here that has been sent by a certain Inge Delfosse who is a secretary general of Estoc (European Smokeless Tobacco Council).”

“This was sent to this Silvio Zammit who is implicated in these dealings. She says: ‘Hi Silvio, there are some bad rumours flying around Brussels. Could you let me know whether it would be possible to have an informal meeting with Dalli in Brussels and how much you would charge for that?’

Mr Dalli added: “This shows that these people were offering to bribe Mr Zammit to arrange a meeting with me. This is something that Mr Zammit I can vouch never communicated for me. He never asked me for any meeting with these people.”

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