Roberta Metsola elected as First Vice-President of the European Parliament

Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola was elected as First Vice-President of the European Parliament, replacing Mairead McGuinness i who became European Commissioner.

Until the deadline on Monday, the only MEP to have been nominated for the post was Ms Metsola, who was put forward by her political group, the EPP. As a result, she was declared elected by the President on Thursday. Ms Metsola is the first Maltese MEP to become a Vice-President.

After her election Ms Metsola said, “It is a tremendous honour to have been elected First Vice-President. I will continue to be a strong voice for European citizens and for Malta and continue to work to build bridges across the political divide.”

“With the economic and health recovery from the COVID pandemic, terror threats, the Brexit negotiations, a new US President, the situation in Belarus, continued migration challenges, and a new rule of law framework all high on the agenda, I, together with President Sassoli i and the other Vice-Presidents, will continue to play my part in ensuring that the European Parliament remains a strong link between citizens and the European decision-making process.”

Background

Roberta Metsola was first elected to the European Parliament in 2013. She was re-elected in 2014 and 2019. She was previously a lawyer by profession, specialising in European law and politics.

Between 2004 and 2012, Ms Metsola worked in the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU. She subsequently joined the team of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, as a legal advisor.

Within the European Parliament, Ms Metsola is the EPP’s Group Coordinator in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and heads her national party’s delegation within the EPP group. She is also the Co-Chair of the EP Anti-Corruption Intergroup.

Born in 1979, Ms Metsola is married and is the mother of four boys. She graduated from the University of Malta and the College of Europe in Bruges.