When Social Policy Minister John Dalli takes his seat in the European Commission, early next year, he will focus on ensuring that health care is accessible to all EU citizens.

“My priorities in the health sector at EU level will be similar to the ones I applied in Malta: accessibility to health care and the sustainability of the sector,” Mr Dalli said this morning during a Nationalist Party activity in Mgarr.

Barely four days after Mr Dalli’s nomination for Commissioner was announced by the government, European Commission president José Manuel Barroso allocated the portfolios to his 26-stong team.

Mr Dalli will be serving as Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner and is expected to take office in February following a long scrutiny process.

Till then he will retain his post as Social Policy Minister in Malta.

Yesterday Mr Dalli said he believed his portfolio had been tailored according to his curriculum vitae. His experience in the financial sector, which he gained as Finance Minister, allowed him to keep in mind the financial realities of any proposals made, he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg and Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino congratulated Mr Dalli on his appointment.

Mr Pullicino credited him as the “pilot” that ensured that Malta’s banks and financial system remained strong during the global financial crisis.

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