Roberta Metsola has appointed Matthew Tabone as her head of cabinet.

Tabone will assume that role in addition to his existing role, head of her private office and public relations.

The two roles will now be merged into one, a spokesperson from the European Parliament president’s office said.

Tabone joined the European Parliament in 2013, as head of the MEP’s office, and is one of her top advisers. He is also her brother-in-law, having met and married her sister after joining the MEP's office. 

In recent years, Metsola has entrusted him with managing a major transparency reform of EP procedures following the Qatargate scandal and coordinating her engagement with the European public in the run up to the European Parliament elections last June.

A 2023 profile of Tabone by Politico described Tabone as being the man entrusted with "the issues most crucial to her political image". 

He takes over as head of the EP president’s cabinet from Leticia Zuleta De Reales Ansaldo. Ansaldo has been appointed director of national parliaments within the European Parliament.

In a comment on Facebook, Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba described the appointment as "nepotism". 

"Imagine if I or a representative of the PL appointed a member of their family to the highest position in their office," he said.

"Look at how many stories, protests and requests for resignation and attacks about rampant nepotism.

"However, they remain silent after Roberta Metsola appointed her sister's husband as her Chief of Staff.

"If this is not nepotism, then what is nepotism?"