Roberta Metsola Hailed As A ‘Top World Leader’ By Time Magazine
European Parliament (EP) President and Maltese national Roberta Metsola has just been hailed as one of the top world leaders by Time Magazine, the first of such an achievement by a Maltese citizen.
The Time100 Next list consists of 100 people from across the world making an impact in various fields like health, climate, politics, business, sport, and art.
“Since my first day in politics, my priority has been to bridge the gap between European decision-making and the people we are elected to represent. It’s a wonderful surprise and honour to be included in this list, particularly as first person from Malta and Gozo,” Metsola said in response to the news.
“I hope that this serves to continue to put the European Parliament on the world map and help in getting the message of Europe across.”
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Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, praised Metsola saying that she not only “made history” as the youngest-ever president of the EP, but that she is the one who brought the EU closer together.
“Whenever she travels to one of the bloc’s 27 Member States, whatever the issues on the agenda, she always finds time to meet with local people. And she repeats a powerful message: Get involved. Do not ever give in to cynicism. You can be the engine of change,” von der Leyen stated.
She further commended Metsola on her role in spearheading major reforms within the EU Parliament, saying that Metsola works “tirelessly” to improve the institutions and make them more transparent.
“Roberta’s passion for Europe has led her to the highest seat in the European Parliament: now she is channeling it in the service of all Europeans,” von der Leyen concluded.
Within the coming weeks, Metsola is expected to travel to New York in recognition of her inclusion within the list.
This comes amid the whole of the EU convened for the State of the European Union debate where Metsola gave journalists a briefing, mediated the four-hour-long sitting, and had meeting upon meeting with several different stakeholders and state leaders.
If you want to check out the list of esteemed leaders, click here.
Do you think that Metsola deserves to be on this list?
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