Metsola denies ‘unfounded’ plagiarism allegations by German tabloid

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has denied plagiarism allegations by German tabloid Bild.

“These claims are totally unfounded,” a spokesperson for the EP President told MaltaToday.

In a report published on Bild, Austrian media research Stefan Weber, claimed Metsola’s dissertation contained plagiarism material from other authors.

He said the “astonishing” plagiarism in her dissertation, found on “nearly every page”, diminishes trust in EU governance.

He said there are 188 instances where Metsola is said to have plagiarized, copied entire passages or misquoted them. He checked Metsola's work back in 2024. “Just out of curiosity, without getting paid for it,” the report reads. “This has been the case with most of his 400 dissertation reviews.”

The newspaper also challenged Metsola's use of the title 'Doctor,' a designation commonly used by law graduates in Malta but not in Germany.

A spokesperson said the EP President stands by the authenticity of her work, written 23 years ago, as part of her law course and rejects any assertion to the contrary.

“She is incredibly proud of her degree and the integrity of her Alma Mater, the University of Malta,” a spokesperson said.

He also said the thesis, written 23 years ago, was examined by a panel of academics, jurists and legal experts, who were the body competent to decide on whether the thesis reached the necessary standards. “They examined it in detail and concluded that the thesis did in fact match the standards needed for the degree.”

“As context, it is clear that the person making these claims is confusing, deliberately or mistakenly, the University of Malta's law degree and a PhD,” he said. “In Malta, like other countries, a degree in law (LL.D as it was known) is considered as a legacy doctoral degree.”

He said the degree is the equivalent to a EQF level 7 on the European Qualifications Framework, not a level 8 like a PhD.

“Every person who has ever graduated with this LL.D degree in Malta is granted the title of "Dr." and is referred to as such. This is a similar situation with law graduates in other EU countries and this is the case with every lawyer in Malta, including the Prime Minister and leader of the Malta Labour Party,” the spokesperson said.

Labour MEP Alex Agius also shared a post making reference to the report on his personal Facebook page on Thursday.