One Month Of Roberta Metsola: Highlights From Her First Month As European Parliament President
A major figure and one of the most popular candidates in the Nationalist Party, Roberta Metsola leads little to no introduction to members of the Maltese public.
After an almost nine-year stint in the European Parliament, during which time she served not only as an MEP but also as the First Vice-President, Metsola was elected as the President of the European Parliament in January 2022.
In just a month of being President of the European Parliament, Metsola has already made quite the impression, setting the tone for her two and a half year-long term.
“It is hard to believe it has already been a month since the election. I was determined to hit the ground running and I know that the challenges that Europe faces meant that we needed to start immediately,” Metsola told Lovin Malta.
“An essential part of my work is to ensure that the European Parliament is close to all Europeans, for people to understand why this House matters. Reaching out to the public is crucial for people to believe in Europe and to believe in the potential of Europe.”
So, here are a few noteworthy highlights from Metsola’s first month in office.
18th January: Metsola wins the EP President Election
Metsola’s win was historic in more ways than one; not only did it make her the highest-ranking Maltese person in the EU but also the youngest ever European Parliament President, the first Maltese national to hold the position and the third woman to ever become President.
19th January: Vows to sign an EU-wide pro-abortion pact
Following a meeting with the French President, Emanuel Macron, Metsola vowed to take on the Parliament’s stance and sign a liberal pact which would guarantee women’s access to abortion and contraceptives within the EU. Prior to her election as President, Metsola maintained an anti-abortion stance.
27th January: Honouring Holocaust Survivors and Victims on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Metsola welcomed 100-year-old Holocaust survivor, Margot Friedländer, to the Parliament.
Friedländer, who spent her life fighting anti-Semitism, discrimination and exclusion, was praised by Metsola for her unique, “heartbreaking and hopeful” story.
“I promised her that we will never forget. That we will never become complacent. That the European Parliament will carry her words and that we will never stop speaking out.”
30th January: Pays homage to David Sassoli and Daphne Caruana Galizia and to continue the fight against corruption
“I will honour my commitment to never cease fighting against corruption, and protect those who seek to uncover the truth”, Metsola said in an appearance on the popular Italian talk show “Che Tempo Che Fa”.
During this appearance, she also paid homage to the assassinated journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose sons had also made an appearance on the show in 2019, as well as to her predecessor, David Sassoli, who passed away just days before Metsola was elected.
10th February: Makes first official visit to Malta
Metsola’s visit to Malta was also her first official visit to her country since being elected. This visit was almost symbolic in that the first country she visited after her term started was the one in which she was raised.
During this visit, she met with members of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family at the site of her assassination, where she also laid flowers in commemoration of the assassinated journalist on behalf of the European Parliament. To this day, she remains one of the few major Maltese political figures and the first European Parliament President to visit the site.
She also attended a meeting at San Anton Palace with President George Vella, during which they discussed the importance of raising awareness about MEPs’ work.
“I wanted to come, to meet with President George Vella and to pay tribute on behalf of the citizens of Europe to Daphne at the site where she was killed. For me, the responsibility to push for truth, justice and accountability is as personal as it is institutional,” Metsola said.
12th February: Meeting with UN Refugee Agency Special Envoy and actress Angelina Jolie
The two revolutionary women were on call to formally discuss refugee rights and to ensure that fundamental human rights are being protected. This call came after Jolie’s address during the Afghan Women Days hosted at the European Parliament.
14th February: Historic Meeting Of Three Female EU Presidents
Metsola held a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde at her office at the European Parliament located in Strasbourg.
This is the first time that three women are heading the European Central Bank, European Commission and European Parliament simultaneously.
Metsola seemingly acknowledged the historic and social importance of these women holding office at the same time by posting an image on her social media accounts of the three, dedicating it to “every girl in Europe”, with von der Leyen and Lagarde posting similar posts on their own accounts.
16th February: Condemnation of Russian military presence at Ukrainian border & loan
In reaction to the increasing Russian military presence at the Ukrainian border, the Conference of Presidents stated that it is “a threat to Ukraine’s prosperous democratic and economic development, to the rules-based international order, and to the security of Europe as a whole”.
They also expressed and emphasised that should Russia invade Ukraine, severe economic and financial sanctions against the Russians will be imposed; including the freezing of financial and physical assets in the EU, travel bans and individual sanctions of the families’ of individuals close to Putin.
“The simultaneous security challenges we are seeing in Ukraine and Belarus required a strong, coordinated and swift response from the European Union. Just last week we managed to push through financial support for Ukraine to the tune of 1.2 billion euros,” Metsola told Lovin Malta.
“These are not simply Foreign Policy questions – they are fundamental to ensuring peace in Europe and we cannot allow that to remain under threat. I am proud that the European Parliament has played an important role in this – we will continue to stand up for Europe.”
17th February: Taking part in the sixth-ever European Union-African Union Summit
During this summit, it was announced that an Africa-Europe Investment Package of €150 billion will be launched to help create more diverse, inclusive, sustainable and resilient economies.
“Today’s European Union-African Union Summit is about opportunity. Opportunity of investing in digital and green transitions. Investing in people. Investing in strengthening democracy, human rights and the rule of law. It is about realising the potential of our two continents and working together as partners.”
The future?
“Looking ahead, we have a packed agenda on climate, Europe’s green transition and our digital transformation, on post-Covid recovery, on tackling inflation and rising energy prices and finding a workable approach on migration. This will mean a lot of work for the Parliament. It is our responsibility to transpose words into actions that make a difference for people,” Metsola said.
“Our European Parliament, our European Union must be the beacon of hope that people look to – and I for one am optimistic that we will get there.”
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
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