We are thrilled to extend a special invitation for an event that promises to be both enlightening and inspiring. It is our honour to announce our guest speaker Dr. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, who will be joining us for the event titled “Malta at the European Parliament: A Presidential Perspective”.
Date: 18th March 2024
Time: 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm
Venue: Xara Lodge, Rabat
Join us as we delve into discussions on Malta’s position, its contributions, and the significance of its representation at the European Parliament. Dr. Roberta Metsola will provide a comprehensive overview, drawing from her firsthand experiences and leadership within the institution.
Please note that this event is exclusively for our members. However, if you would like to extend an invitation to a guest, kindly get in touch with us, and we will accommodate your request subject to availability.
Roberta Metsola was elected President of the European Parliament in January 2022, becoming the youngest ever person to occupy this role.
She was first elected to the European Parliament in 2013, becoming one of Malta’s first female Members of the European Parliament. President Metsola was re-elected in 2014 and then again in 2019.
In 2020, she was elected as the First Vice-President of the European Parliament, becoming the first Maltese national to hold the post. She was responsible for the European Parliament’s relations with national parliaments and for the Parliament’s participation in the interreligious and non-confessional dialogue (Article 17 TFEU).
Leading the only directed elected European institution, President Metsola has been very vocal and firm in Europe’s support to Ukraine, following Russia’s brutal invasion. On 1st April 2022, she became the first President of an institution of the European Union to visit Ukraine since the start of the war.
As President of the European Parliament, she has led reforms towards a Parliament, which is more modern, efficient and accountable.
Since the start of her mandate, President Metsola has also made it a priority to reach beyond Brussels and Strasbourg, by visiting European Union Member States and candidate countries, meeting with people, visiting schools and taking the message of Europe to the various cities, towns and villages. She has also invited EU Heads of State or Government to the European Parliament to discuss current challenges and opportunities for the Union, under the “This is Europe” debates.
Within the European Parliament, President Metsola was the European People’s Party Group’s Coordinator in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, between January 2017 and 2020. President Metsola was the Parliament’s rapporteur on the European Border and Coastguard Regulation (FRONTEX) in 2019. She also co-authored the Parliament’s own-initiative report on the need to protect journalists in the European Union from Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (SLAPP).
Prior to her election as a Member of the European Parliament, President Metsola served within the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union and later as the legal advisor to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In her student years, she campaigned actively for Malta’s European Unionmembership, and was active in various organisations, acting as the Secretary-General for the European Democrat Student organisation between 2002 and 2003. President Metsola credits the referendum on Malta’s accession to the European Union as the catalyst for her political career at such a young age.
Professionally she is a lawyer who has specialised in European law and politics. She completed an Erasmus exchange in France and graduated from the University of Malta and the College of Europe in Bruges.
Born in 1979, Roberta Metsola is married to Ukko Metsola and is the mother of four boys.
