Roberta Metsola: This is the new President of the European Parliament

Elected on the first ballot
For LGBTQ, but against abortion – that’s how the new EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola ticks

Roberta Metsola is the new President of the European Parliament

© Philipp von Ditfurth / DPA

It was her birthday – and it was also the hour of her greatest political success to date: the EU Parliament elected Roberta Metsola as its new President. The vote was surprisingly clear, although Metsola’s attitudes are open to attack.

The conservative Roberta Metsola is the new President of the European Parliament. The 43-year-old from Malta was elected by parliamentarians in Strasbourg with an absolute majority of 458 out of 616 votes in the first ballot on Tuesday. The youngest President of the EU Parliament to date succeeds the Italian David Sassoli, who died unexpectedly last week.

“I’m a woman from a small island in the middle of southern Europe. I know what it means to be an outsider,” said Metsola in her application speech to parliamentarians in Strasbourg.

Choosing conservative Metsola, who celebrated their 43rd birthday on Tuesday, was a remarkable choice in many ways. She is not only the youngest President of the EU Parliament, but also only the third woman to head the parliament. “It won’t be another two decades before a woman is at the head of parliament again,” Metsola promised militantly after her election.

The doctor of law has been a member of the EU parliament for the Maltese Nationalist Party, which belongs to the conservative EPP Group, since 2013. In 2020, the politician took over the post of the first of 14 vice presidents in the European Parliament.

The fact that someone from the island state of Malta, with its almost 500,000 inhabitants, has been given a top job in the EU for the first time is an important signal for the EU’s internal architecture. Namely that you don’t have to come from EU heavyweight countries like Germany and Italy like Metsola’s predecessors Martin Schulz, Antonio Tajani and David Sassioli to make a career in Brussels.

Nevertheless, a German of all people almost prevented Metsola’s career move. Martin Weber (CSU), the Bavarian group leader of the Christian Democrats in the EU Parliament, originally claimed the post, but then gave it up and ultimately supported Metsola’s candidacy.

Metsola is a hard-line anti-abortion advocate

More problematic for the election was Metsola’s hardline anti-abortion position. The mother of four, who is married to a Finn and speaks fluent English, French and Italian, describes herself as a progressive advocate for LGBTQ and women’s rights. However, she is also controversial because of her negative attitude to abortions among parliamentarians. Abortion is illegal in predominantly Catholic Malta, and divorce has only been legal there since 2011.

But thanks to an agreement between the two major factions in the EU Parliament, the EPP and the Social Democrats, Metsola’s election as Parliament Speaker was a sure thing. Even before Sassoli’s death, the election for the presidency of the EU Parliament had been scheduled for the coming week. Sassoli’s term ended this month after two and a half years. Metsola was elected for two and a half years until mid-2024.

In addition to Metsola, the Green MEP Alice Bah Kuhnke from Sweden and the Left MEP Sira Rego from Spain. Polish MP Kosma Zlotowski from the EU-sceptical, national-conservative group in the European Parliament withdrew his application at short notice.

The President of the European Parliament directs all activities of the plenary, maintains order during sessions, gives speakers the floor and signs laws. The last German incumbent was Martin Schulz, who headed the parliament from 2012 to 2017.

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DPA
AFP

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