Maltese MEPs “punch above their weight the most,” according to a study into the influence of European Parliament members.
EP President Roberta Metsola and MEP Alex Agius Saliba were ranked in second and 35th place respectively, in a list of the top 100 most influential parliamentarians in the 705-member chamber. Malta registered the highest score of how influential its representatives were relative to its size.
While larger countries, such as Germany and France, exert a large influence overall, smaller countries like Malta were able to punch above their weight by holding more leadership positions or a greater role in legislation than their size would normally allow, the report said.
“This is, for instance, the case of Malta and Luxembourg, as their MEPs are able to play an important role in the European Parliament despite coming from the smallest EU countries,” the report said.
The study carried out by EUmatrix.eu analysed the influence MEPs have had over EU legislation since the beginning of the current term.
Cypriot MEPs were the biggest underperformers in the European Parliament, holding no slots in the top 100, while Italian and Hungarian MEPs also scored low due to their belonging to populist unaffiliated groups such as Hungary’s Fidesz party and Italy’s Five Star Movement.
Unaffiliated groups are unable to receive reports or acquire leadership positions in the EP.
The European People’s Party (EPP) was the most influential group as a whole, though Renew MEPs tended to punch above their weight the most, the report said.
The EPP came in first place in a ranking of the most influential parties, with the Socialist and Democrats (S&Ds) coming in second. Four out of six of Malta’s MEPs belong to the S&D party and two belong to the EPP.
Labour MEPs Agius Saliba, Josianne Cutajar, Cyrus Engerer and former Prime Minister Alfred Sant are all S&D representatives, while Metsola and David Casa belong to the EPP.
Metsola has been a key figure in European politics since her appointment to the presidency of the EP in January 2022, a post she will hold until 2024. During the first year of her presidency, she played a prominent role in the EU’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Qatar corruption scandal.
In 2020, Agius Saliba was included in Politico's list of the top 20 MEPs to watch. The following year, he was elected as one of the nine vice presidents of the S&Ds and has become known for his work on the regulation of online services such as the Digital Services Act.