# Joe Borg > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Borg > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Borg.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Borg > Source revision: 1305043533 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Maltese politician and diplomat This article is about the Maltese politician. For the Maltese-English screenwriter, see [Joe Borg (screenwriter)](/source/Joe_Borg_(screenwriter)). For the American financial regulator, see [Joseph Borg (regulator)](/source/Joseph_Borg_(regulator)). Joe Borg Borg in 2004 European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs In office 22 November 2004 – 9 February 2010 President José Manuel Barroso Preceded by Franz Fischler Sandra Kalniete (Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries) Succeeded by Maria Damanaki (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid In office 1 May 2004 – 11 November 2004 Serving with Poul Nielson President Romano Prodi Preceded by Poul Nielson Succeeded by Louis Michel Personal details Born (1952-03-19) 19 March 1952 (age 74) Party Nationalist Party Alma mater Aberystwyth University (UK) **Joseph Borg** (born 19 March 1952) is a [Maltese politician](/source/Politics_of_Malta) and diplomat. Prior to taking up the post of Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs and led Malta's EU-accession negotiations. ## Career He graduated Doctor of Laws in Malta in 1975 and Master of Laws in Wales in 1988.[1] Since 1979, Borg held various academic posts at the [University of Malta](/source/University_of_Malta), mainly focusing on [company law](/source/Company_law), [industrial law](/source/Industrial_law) and [European law](/source/European_law). He also held various posts as legal adviser to companies and corporate bodies in Malta and other countries. He began his career in politics as an advisor to the Foreign Minister on European Union matters from 1989 until 1995. From 1992 until 1995 he also served as member of the board of directors of the [Maltese Central Bank](/source/Central_Bank_of_Malta). He was elected to [Parliament](/source/House_of_Representatives_of_Malta) in 1995 as a member of the [Nationalist Party](/source/Nationalist_Party_(Malta)). He later served as Parliamentary Secretary within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1998 to 1999 and was subsequently appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1999. He held this post until he was nominated Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs in 2004, upon Malta's accession to the EU.[2] ## Fisheries Commissioner As European Commissioner, he has been responsible for spearheading the EU's Integrated Maritime Policy and for innovative measures in fisheries, particularly through the involvement of stakeholders and the fight against [illegal fishing](/source/Illegal_fishing) activities, aimed at achieving sustainability in the sector. However, European fisheries policy has been unsuccessful so far in achieving sustainability, with 91% of fisheries on course to be classified as "overfished" by 2015, by which time the EU has committed to international targets for achieving sustainability.[3] His head of cabinet was the German [Michael Koehler](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Koehler_(politician)&action=edit&redlink=1). Borg courted controversy among environmental groups by fiercely opposing the ban on the sale of [Bluefin tuna](/source/Bluefin_tuna), an increasingly rare fish which sells for thousands of pounds in [Japan](/source/Japan). His position on Bluefin tuna has been linked to the fact that the industry earns €100 million annually for [Malta](/source/Malta). Borg commented to the *[Times of Malta](/source/Times_of_Malta)* that "it is thanks to a lot of hard work at my level and at my staff's level that many of the proposals that are agreed by the commission took into account Maltese sensitivities".[4] Soon after the end of his term as Fisheries Commissioner in 2010, he was appointed chairman of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies[1] and resumed lecturing at the [University of Malta](/source/University_of_Malta).[5] ## Family Borg is married to Isabelle with whom he has two children, Joseph and Clara.[1] ## Honorary doctorates Borg was awarded an honorary doctorate by the [University of Essex](/source/University_of_Essex) in July 2003.[6] ## Publications 1995: author of the Malta Companies Act[5] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) ["New appointment for Joe Borg"](https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101223/local/new-appointment-for-joe-borg.342379). *Times of Malta*. Retrieved 16 May 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Spiteri Bailey, Ian (14 March 2004). ["Joe Borg - the first Maltese EU Commissioner"](https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040314/opinion/joe-borg-the-first-maltese-eu-commissioner.127680). *Times of Malta*. Retrieved 16 May 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Cressey, Daniel (2010). ["Europe cannot keep its promises on fish stocks"](http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100122/full/news.2010.27.html). *Nature*. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/news.2010.27](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnews.2010.27). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Grech, Herman. ["I earned the right to be told"](https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091129/interview/i-earned-the-right-to-be-told.283727). *Times of Malta*. Retrieved 16 May 2019. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_5-1) Kurbalija, Jovan (31 July 2013). [*Persuasion, the essence of diplomacy: A publication in honor of Professor Dietrich Kappeler*](https://books.google.com/books?id=MGwtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA127). Diplo Foundation. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789993253266](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789993253266). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Honorary Graduates - Honorary Graduates - University of Essex"](https://www1.essex.ac.uk/honorary_graduates/). *www1.essex.ac.uk*. Retrieved 17 May 2019. ## External links - [Borg's official website](http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/borg/index_en.htm) - [Photos](http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/photo/photo_combar_result_en.cfm?id=3400) Political offices New office Maltese European Commissioner 2004–2010 Succeeded by John Dalli Preceded by Poul Nielson European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid 2004 Served alongside: Poul Nielson Succeeded by Louis Michel Preceded by Franz Fischler Sandra Kalniete as European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs 2004–2010 Succeeded by Maria Damanaki as European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries v t e Barroso Commission I (2004–2009) Joaquín Almunia Catherine Ashton6 José Manuel Barroso1 Jacques Barrot2 Joe Borg Karel De Gucht9 Stavros Dimas Benita Ferrero-Waldner Ján Figeľ10 Franco Frattini2, 5 Mariann Fischer Boel Dalia Grybauskaitė7 Danuta Hübner8 Siim Kallas2 László Kovács Neelie Kroes Meglena Kuneva3 Markos Kyprianou4 Peter Mandelson6 Charlie McCreevy Louis Michel9 Leonard Orban3 Andris Piebalgs Janez Potočnik Viviane Reding Olli Rehn Paweł Samecki8 Maroš Šefčovič10 Algirdas Šemeta7 Vladimír Špidla Antonio Tajani2, 5 Androulla Vassiliou4 Günter Verheugen2 Margot Wallström2 1 = President. 2 = Vice President. 3 = Served from 1 January 2007. 4 = Vassiliou replaced Kyprianou on 3 March 2008. 5 = Tajani replaced Frattini on 18 June 2008. 6 = Ashton replaced Mandelson on 3 October 2008. 7 = Šemeta replaced Grybauskaitė on 1 July 2009. 8 = Samecki replaced Hübner on 4 July 2009. 9 = De Gucht replaced Michel on 17 July 2009. 10 = Šefčovič replaced Figeľ on 1 October 2009. v t e European commissioners from Malta Joe Borg John Dalli Tonio Borg Karmenu Vella Helena Dalli Glenn Micallef Authority control databases International VIAF GND WorldCat People DDB --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Joe Borg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Borg) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Borg?action=history)). 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