Dalli nervous, but prepared

John Dalli, Malta's European commissioner-designate, spent the day yesterday locked up in a small room in his temporary office in Brussels reviewing dozens of briefs before facing a three-hour grilling by MEPs today.

The briefs were prepared by Mr Dalli's close collaborators and he made sure to assimilate in detail all the intricacies of the dossier assigned to him by European Commission president José Manuel Barroso.

"I'm feeling like I'm sitting for an important exam in which I need to excel," Mr Dalli admitted.

"This is a very important exercise, which I am giving all my attention to. It is a serious examination performed by serious people and I am doing my utmost to make sure I give a good performance in front of the European Parliament."

Admitting he was feeling a bit nervous less than 24 hours before his hearing, Mr Dalli said he was convinced he was "fully prepared".

"I've prepared very thoroughly for this day. I don't expect I will be in a position to give a magical solution to all the issues included in the EU's health and consumer policy portfolio but I feel very confident I can answer all the questions put to me by MEPs," he added.

If he sails through, Mr Dalli, who was nominated by the government in December for the prestigious post of European commissioner, will succeed Commissioner Joe Borg at the Berlymont, the Commission's headquarters in Brussels.

Before his nomination, Dr Borg had to face two hearings, one as temporary commissioner for development and the other as commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs.

He had performed badly in the first hearing and was overwhelmed with the questions put by MEPs. However, he left a good impression in the second hearing, proving he had learnt the lesson.

Sources close to the major political groups in the European Parliament said Mr Dalli was considered well prepared and his hearing was not expected to be a bumpy one.

MEPs from the EPP, the Socialist and the Liberal groups expressed confidence 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."