John Dalli has admitted to being nervous ahead of today's three-hour hearing by MEPs to assess his preparedness to become EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs.
Mr Dalli spent the past weeks preparing himself for the assessment by the European Parliament and spent yesterday locked up in a small room in his temporary office in Brussels reviewing dozens of documents prepared by his close collaborators.
"It feels like I'm sitting for an important exam in which I need to excel," Mr Dalli told The Times.
"This is a very important exercise, to which I am giving all my attention. It is a serious examination performed by serious people and I am doing my utmost to make sure that I give a good account of myself before the European Parliament."
Admitting feeling a bit nervous, Mr Dalli said that he was convinced that he was fully prepared.
"I've prepared for this day very thoroughly. I don't expect to have a magical solution to all the issues in the health and consumer policy portfolio, but I feel very confident that I can answer all the questions put to me by MEPs."
If approved, Mr Dalli will succeed Commissioner Joe Borg as the Maltese member of the College of Commissioners.
Prior to his nomination, Dr Borg has had to face two hearings, one as temporary commissioner for Development and the other as Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. Dr Borg had performed badly during the first hearing and was overwhelmed with the questions put by MEPs. However, he left a good impression in the second hearing.
Sources close to the major political groups in the EP said that Mr Dalli was considered to be well prepared for his new assignment and his hearing is not expected to be a bumpy one. MEPs from the EPP, the Socialist and the Liberal groups expressed themselves confident that Mr Dalli would sail through without any hitches.
However, Mr Dalli is not letting any of these positive comments influence him.
"I am not taking this lightly and will keep preparing myself to the best of my abilities until the last minute," he said.
The hearings can be followed live on timesofmalta.com from 1 p.m.