Tonio Borg

Tonio Borg (born 12 May 1957) is a Maltese lawyer, law professor, and former politician who served as the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy replacing John Dalli as member of the College of the European Commission in the second Barroso Commission.^[1] He lectures Public Law at the University of Malta, and has authored numerous books on the subject.^[2]

Tonio Borg
Tonio Borg in 2012
European Commissioner for Health
In office 1 July 2013 – 1 November 2014
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Himself (Health and Consumer Policy)
Succeeded by	Vytenis Andriukaitis (Health and Food Safety)
European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy
In office 28 November 2012 – 1 July 2013
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Maroš Šefčovič (Acting)
Succeeded by	Himself (Health) Neven Mimica (Consumer Protection)
Deputy Prime Minister of Malta
In office 23 March 2004 – 28 November 2012
Prime Minister	Lawrence Gonzi
Preceded by	Lawrence Gonzi
Succeeded by	Louis Grech
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 12 March 2008 – 28 November 2012
Prime Minister	Lawrence Gonzi
Preceded by	Michael Frendo
Succeeded by	Francis Zammit Dimech
Minister of Justice
In office 15 April 2003 – 12 March 2008
Prime Minister	Eddie Fenech Adami Lawrence Gonzi
Preceded by	Austin Gatt
Succeeded by	Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 8 September 1998 – 12 March 2008
Prime Minister	Eddie Fenech Adami Lawrence Gonzi
Preceded by	Alfred Sant
Succeeded by	Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici
In office 17 April 1995 – 28 October 1996
Prime Minister	Eddie Fenech Adami
Preceded by	Louis Galea
Succeeded by	Alfred Sant
Personal details
Born	(1957-05-12) 12 May 1957 (age 68) Floriana, Malta
Political party	Nationalist Party
Spouse	Adele Galea
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Malta

Political career

Borg was first elected in 1992, serving as Minister for Home Affairs.^[3] After the Nationalist Party lost the 1996 election, he became a shadow minister to the Alfred Sant administration.^[4] Eventually, the Nationalist Party would retake the government in 1998, wherein Borg assumed the role of Minister of Home Affairs until parliament was dissolved in 2003,^[5] in preparation for Malta's EU ascension, which Borg's Nationalist Party was in favour of.^[6] After the 2003 general election, Borg was elected, and resumed as Minister of Justice and Home Affairs. In 2004, he was sworn as Deputy Prime Minister.^[7]

In the 2008 general election, the Nationalist Party returned to government, albeit with a slim majority. Tonio Borg was made Minister of Foreign Affairs.^[8]

In 2012, Borg was appointed as EU Health (and Consumer Policy) Commissioner, replacing John Dalli. EU ministers majorly approved Tonio Borg's candidature, yet his conservative views on gay rights and abortion were subject to criticism from several MEPs.^[9][10]

Disagreeing with the idea of a 'potential human being', Borg sought to entrench Malta's restriction of abortion in the Constitution. Whilst the proposition received support from some Labour Party MP's, most notably Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, it was dismissed by moderate politicians in the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party.^[11]

Initial controversy surrounding his election as Health Commissioner centered around perceived conflicts with his portfolio, wherein Borg, a Catholic conservative-leaning Christian Democrat, would oversee matters of stem-cell research, IVF, and other topics which are criticized under Catholic social teaching, threatening the role's impartiality. Nevertheless, Borg maintained an impartial and moderate presence.^[12] The post of Maltese commissioner was succeeded by Karmenu Vella in 2014.^[13]

Academia

Graduating with a law degree in 1979, he would start lecturing at the University of Malta initially as a guest lecturer.^[2] Eventually, in 2016, he became an assistant lecturer, until 2018 wherein he completed his PhD in Judicial Review and Administrative Law,^[14] and was promoted to senior lecturer.^[15]

He became associate professor in March 2020. In 2024 he was promoted to full professor.^[16] He lectures Constitutional, and Administrative law.

His PhD thesis was published as a book in 2020.^[17] In it, Borg observes the field of Administrative law in Malta, highlighting potential abuses of power and the manner in which Maltese courts apply the ultra vires doctrine.^[14]

Other activities

• European Medicines Agency (EMA), Member of the Management Board^[18]

Recognition

In December 2018 Borg was appointed Companion of the Order of Merit (KOM) by the President of Malta.

Publications

• Borg, Tonio (1979). Public limits to fundamental human rights: a study of Maltese decisions. (Master's dissertation).
• Borg, Tonio (2016) A Commentary On The Constitution Of Malta. Kite Group. Kite Group. ISBN 9789995750282
• Borg, Tonio (2019) Leading cases in Maltese constitutional law. Kite Group. ISBN 9789995750824
• Borg, Tonio (2021) Maltese Administrative Law. Kite Group. ISBN 9789918230280
• Borg, Tonio (2020) Leading cases in Maltese administrative law. Kite Group. ISBN 9789918230051
• Borg, Tonio (2022) A Commentary On The Constitution Of Malta (2nd Edition). Kite Group. ISBN 9789918230785
• Borg, Tonio (2022) The Blue sisters saga : a legal and factual analysis. Kite Group. ISBN 9789918230587
• Borg, Tonio et al. (2024) The Constitution of Malta at sixty. Kite Group. ISBN 9789918231478