PN candidate Peter Agius starts bid for 2024 European elections

The Nationalist Party candidate Peter Agius will recontest the 2024 European elections, with a bid to clinch one of six seats up for grabs.

Agius, a PN spokesperson, is an EU official who was formerly head of the European Parliament office in Malta and later a speechwriter for one-time head of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani.

In 2019, Agius garnered over 10,000 first-preference votes with a campaign focused on bread-and-butter issues, food safety, consumer protection and EU funding.

“Almost 20 years passed since Malta’s decision to join the EU. Since then, the EU has changed a lot, and not always with due consideration to Maltese needs. Tax harmonisation and ‘one size fits all’ policies are but a few of the daily challenges which require a stronger representation of Maltese interests in Brussels,” Agius said, announcing his bid.

“Over the past years I followed up on the pledges made as an MEP candidate at the last European election. I lobbied the European Commission on several occasions with concrete results for Maltese consumers, halting a grain export ban from Hungary. I kept pressing the cause of local food production, with concrete results for fishermen and farmers while striving to extend further the benefits of EU membership to students, workers and our business community.”

Referring to the PN’s protest on quality of life issues in Valletta on Sunday, Agius said people’s patience for the status quo was wearing thin.

“People are tired of self-centred politicians with a vision leading merely to the closest election, squandering and abusing our country along the way. The PN’s initiative to show our frustration is a good step forward. I will be there with the people in Valletta. We need to channel our energy intelligently for concrete change. The next European and local council elections give us an occasion to bring about that change. I will definitely give all myself to be part of that.”