Roberta Metsola

Roberta Metsola

MEP
President of the European Parliament
Assumed office
11 January 2022
Acting: 11 January 2022 – 18 January 2022
Vice PresidentOthmar Karas
Preceded byDavid Sassoli
First Vice President of the European Parliament
In office
12 November 2020 – 18 January 2022
PresidentDavid Sassoli
Preceded byMairead McGuinness
Succeeded byOthmar Karas
Member of the European Parliament
for Malta
Assumed office
24 April 2013
Preceded bySimon Busuttil
Personal details
Born
Roberta Tedesco Triccas

(1979-01-18) 18 January 1979 (age 47)
Saint Julian's, Malta
CitizenshipMaltese
Political partyNationalist Party
Other political
affiliations		European People's Party
Spouse(s)
Ukko Metsola
​
(m. 2005)​
Children4
EducationUniversity of Malta
College of Europe

Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas (born 18 January 1979) is a Maltese politician. Metsola is the 17th and current President of the European Parliament since 2022. She is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing Malta since 2013.

President of the European Parliament

On 11 January 2022, Metsola became the Acting President of the European Parliament after the death of David Sassoli. She was officially elected president on 18 January 2022 by the European Parliament, becoming the first Maltese person, youngest person at aged 43 and the first woman since 2002 to be elected to the presidency.

Metsola had voted for anti-abortion resolutions. From the beginning of her tenure, she faced questions over her opposition to abortion, which is legal in every EU member state, except Malta and Poland. On her election as president of the European Parliament, she said that during her presidency she would respect the European Parliament's view that supports safe access to abortion as a human right.

On 16 July 2024, Metsola was re-elected President of the European Parliament with the highest number of votes recorded for a candidate in the history of the institution.

Personal life

Metsola met her Finnish husband, Ukko Metsola, at a youth event in 1999. They married in 2005. They both ran for the 2009 European Parliament election, making them the first married couple to run in the same European Parliament election from two different member states. They have four sons.

References

  1. ↑ Vogel, Toby (30 April 2013). "Maltese politician accused of fraud elected to European Parliament". European Voice.
  2. ↑ "European Parliament candidate Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009.
  3. ↑ "European Parliament President David Sassoli dies aged 65". POLITICO. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  4. ↑ "EU flags at half-mast after death of parliament speaker Sassoli". France 24. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  5. ↑ "Roberta Metsola elected European Parliament president in landslide victory". Times of Malta. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  6. ↑ The Malta Independent (21 October 2013)
  7. ↑ Rob Picheta, James Frater, Sharon Braithwaite and Amy Cassidy (18 January 2022). "The European Parliament's new President immediately faced questions on her views on abortion". CNN. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Lory, Gregoire (2022-01-18). "Metsola on abortion: 'My position is the EU Parliament's position'". euronews. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  9. ↑ "Metsola re-elected European Parliament president with strongest-ever vote". Times of Malta. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  10. ↑ "The Metsola exception: The European Parliament president and her lobbyist husband". POLITICO. 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  11. 1 2 Malta, Times of (2009-01-25). "Two seats, two kids and one marriage". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  12. ↑ "Ukko Metsola poltti tappion sikarin". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 8 June 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2021. UKKO METSOLA, 36, tavoitteli maltalaisen vaimonsa Roberta Metsolan kanssa harvinaista tuplajäsenyyttä Euroopan parlamentissa. He olivat ensimmäinen eurooppalainen aviopari, joka pyrkii samoissa vaaleissa parlamenttiin kahdesta eri jäsenmaasta.

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