Updated 11.35am, adds Alex Agius Saliba's nomination
Euro-parliamentarian Roberta Metsola has been nominated for an MEP of the Year award for a record-breaking third time. Newly-elected MEP Alex Agius Saliba has also been nominated.
Organisers cited Dr Metsola's work on protecting the rule of law and fighting corruption across Europe and her role in pushing forward justice and accountability after the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galiza in Malta as the main factors behind her nomination.
The 'MEP Awards' are 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.
Dr Metsola has already won the MEP of the Year award for her work on justice and civil liberties in Europe in 2015 and 2016.
"It is an honour to be nominated for this prestigious award for a third time," she said.
“I am delighted to have been nominated, it has been a particularly hectic year both in terms of negotiating new legislation, standing for elections and in pushing forward reforms on a European level.
"When I was first elected to the European Parliament, I was determined to show that the geographic realities of Malta are no barrier for our determination as a country or as a people.
"I hope this nomination will go a small way in showing people - particularly young women - that it is the strength of your arguments that matters more than the volume of your voice,” she said.
Last year, Dr Metsola was the rapporteur who wrote and negotiated the ground-breaking new EU law on a European Border and Coast Guard that allowed for 10,000 new border guards at Europe’s borders. She was also elected as the co-chair of the European Parliament’s new Anti-Corruption body.
Mr Agius Saliba was shortlisted for the Internal Market and Consumer Protection award. His nomination comes days after Politico listed him as one of 20 MEPs to watch in 2020 for being entrusted with the Imco committee's report on the Digital Services Act.
“This is a huge surprise and honour that as a newly elected MEP, I have been selected as one of the nominees for the MEP Awards.
“I am also truly humbled to be among this year's nominees... The nomination itself is already a great recognition of my work as a newly elected MEP. This nomination is not only for me, but for Malta and for the Maltese people that have put their trust in me. I am happy that despite coming from the smallest member state in the European Union with our work as MEPs, we can have great impact and influence over European politics," he said.
Mr Agius Saliba was appointed rapporteur for the Digital Services Act, which aims to set rules on how platforms such as Google and Facebook will operate in the digital world.
He recently negotiated on behalf of his political group a resolution on a common mobile phone charger, calling on the European Commission to develop a universal charger for mobile phones and small and medium electronic devices.
The winners in each category will be announced at a ceremony in Brussels on 25 March 2020.