The re-election of Roberta Metsola as European Parliament president was almost a foregone conclusion. However, the overwhelming vote she received from her colleagues – giving her a strong mandate for the next two-and-a-half years – was a surprise.
Metsola has been lauded for demonstrating leadership and bringing significant exposure to an EU institution long dismissed as toothless. In a time marked by the rise of the far-right, disinformation and wars at Europe’s doorstep, the EU needs more stability than ever. And this is why more than 90 per cent of MEPs voted in favour of the Maltese parliamentarian’s re-election.
Yet, amid the loud applause in the chamber, two Labour MEPs from Metsola’s own country were conspicuously silent.
Alex Agius Saliba and Daniel Attard abstained from voting for her for the most senseless, convoluted and childish reasons.
They said they could never support someone who “prioritises personal interest over her nation’s”.
Alex Agius watches on as fellow MEPs applaud Metsola. Screengrab: European Parliament“I could not support Roberta Metsola because [I do not agree with her] on matters of principle and also because over the past two years she acted in a way that is contrary [to what I believe],” said Agius Saliba.#
He even claimed Metsola showed a lack of respect for the Maltese language in the EP, criticised her “ambiguous position” on reproductive rights, and “her disregard of Malta’s neutrality”.
Of course, their decision to abstain is well within their rights, but it pits them directly against Robert Abela who openly said he would back Metsola for a second term.
Did they deliberately defy their leader’s stand or were they politically naïve not to realise the implications of their decision?
If their move was deliberate, then the Labour Party has a bigger split than suspected. There are enough rumblings to make Abela a very unsteady leader, especially after the European elections. Significantly, the defiance came from Agius Saliba, an MEP who is sometimes touted as a potential Labour Party leader, and who was openly endorsed by Joseph Muscat.
Agius Saliba also said he did not vote for Metsola because of her support to donate weapons to war-torn Ukraine – a stance that actually mirrors his leader’s position.
If they abstained just to score points at home, then they have simply signed up for the wrong job. That would show that, for them, domestic pettiness trumps EU affairs, and confirms that their resentment for Malta’s star EU parliamentarian precedes their own parliament’s well-being.
It was a relief to see Labour’s youngest MEP, Thomas Bajada, vote for Metsola, thus showing that he was the only grown-up among the PL’s three.
The European Parliament functions and delivers through negotiations and compromise, even when that discussion needs to involve MEPs from the opposing sides of the spectrum. Malta needs a united front at EP level, and its MEPs must keep their eye on the ball and work together especially since we have the smallest delegation.
They need to demonstrate thorough knowledge of EU policy and avoid sleeping at the wheel or caught off guard, as they were when an EU shipping tax which was detrimental to island states was given the green light.
It is the start of a five-year term for our MEPs, where there will be disagreements, as evidenced by the many times Malta’s rule of law came under the spotlight in Brussels and Strasbourg. But the sooner our MEPs rise above petty domestic politics and focus on the bigger picture, the better for all of us. The last thing we need is cheap stunts.