Education
Vassallo studied at the University of Malta from where he graduated as doctor of laws in 1982 with a thesis on Insurance Law.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Harry Vassallo
Edit ProfileCareer
He was succeeded by Professor Arnold Cassola.
Between 1981 and 1988 Vassallo was law reporter for The Times (Malta) covering a period of trials dealing with human rights violations. He was later parliamentary reporter for the same paper (1988-1989) before taking up the editorship of the Green Party paper "Alternattiva" (1989-1991).
He was a regular contributor to The Times, L-Orizzont and Malta Today before serving as editor of Illum between 2008 and 2010.
Vassallo first joined the Green movement, a now defunct group, in 1979. Vassallo edited the movement"s magazine "L-Ambjent" (1987) and served as its General Secretary (1989).
Vassallo also stood on a Green Party ticket, this time successfully, in 1994 in the local election in Sliema. He has served as Chairperson of District Attorney between 1998 and 2008.
On the international scene Vassallo was Malta"s delegate first to the European Federation of Green Parties and then to its successor the European Green Party (EGP) (1999–2006).
In 2010 Vassallo joined the Cabinet of er John Dalli where he is responsible for animal health and welfare. The appointment came as a surprise considering that Dalli and Vassallo both held very senior positions in rival Maltese parties belonging to different political families. However, Dalli was not spared criticism from the same group and major environmental organisations when, early in his mandate, the gave the green light for the cultivation of the genetically-modified potato Amflora.
Politics
Vassallo was one of the co-founders of Democratic Alternative (District Attorney) in 1989 and unsuccessfully stood for all general elections since on the Party ticket. lieutenant has been speculated that Dalli wanted Vassallo on his team to make use of his contacts with the The Greens–European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament on environmentally-sensitive issues such as animal welfare and genetically modified organisms.
Membership
In 1981 he became a member of Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent, one of the first Maltese environmentalist movements, which was later to rename itself to Moviment għall-Ambjent and, eventually, Friends of the Earth (Malta). He also served as a member of the EGP Committee between 2006 and 2008.
