Metsola wins 'MEP of the Year' award

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola has been awarded the 'MEP of the Year' award for her work on justice and civil liberties issues in Europe.

She was one of three MEPs nominated for the award, which is organised by The Parliament Magazine, a Brussels-based publication that focuses on European affairs. MEPs are nominated in different categories and are voted for by other MEPs. The announcement was made during a ceremony in Brussels this evening. Addressing participants via video-link, Metsola underlined that cooperation and compromise was essential for the European Parliament to make a real difference in people's everyday lives.

"No MEP and no political group alone could achieve anything by themselves,” Metsola said. “We cannot be entrenched in our positions and need to continue to work together in the best interests of the people we represent.”  

"I try not to give too much importance to these sort of awards and focus on the work ahead. But it is an honour for Malta, for the PN and for me personally to have been given the award.

“It is always satisfying for your work to be acknowledged and even more so when this comes from other MEPs from across party lines".

Metsola was elected to the European Parliament in 2013, replacing Simon Busuttil who returned to Malta as the PN’s deputy leader. She was then re-elected in 2014 with close to 33,000 first-count votes.

Metsola was elected as the European People's Party’s Deputy Coordinator of the Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Civil Liberties. She is also Vice-President of the Petitions Committee, a member of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, and forms part of the EU’s delegations for relations with the United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand.

She has served as the European Parliament’s rapporteur on two reports on the European Asylum Support Office and the EPP’s shadow rapporteur on the European Parliament’s report on anti-discrimination and homophobia last year. 

The Nationalist party extended its congratulations to Metsola. “This is the second time a PN MEP has won this award; Simon Busuttil was awarded the honour in 2012,” it said in a statement.

“This award is proof of Metsola’s qualities and contributions to the European Parliament.”