Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1512265
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 NOVEMBER 2023 EWROPEJ This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author's view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. 'The young gun': Metsola makes it to Politico's Class of 2024 European elections will pitch populism versus pro-European narrative, says Metsola EUROPEAN Parliament Presi- dent and Nationalist MEP Rob- erta Metsola has been selected among Politico's Class of 2024. The EP President is listed among the 28 most powerful people shaping politics and poli- cy next year. This year's ranking revolves around a central theme: 'Can Europe's moderates drive back the fringes?' Explaining the reason behind her selection, Politico says Met- sola took control of the Euro- pean Parliament at a difficult moment: a month before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and just a week after the death of the institution's for- mer President David Sassoli "At the time, questions were raised about the Maltese politi- cian's youth (43 when she took on the post, Metsola was the youngest-ever Parliament presi- dent) and her stance on abortion (in Malta, the procedure is still illegal in most cases). But over the past two years, Metsola has steered the institution through turbulent times and positioned herself as a credible candidate for a second term," the piece reads. "Metsola came out of the gates strong, becoming the first pres- ident of an EU institution to visit Ukraine after Vladimir Pu- tin launched his lethal invasion (and strongly championing the war-struck country's efforts to join the EU since). The trend- setting move earned her kudos in Kyiv, and seriously boosted Metsola's public profile — not an easy achievement for a Mal- tese politician who has spent most of her working life in Brus- sels. Metsola has also been on a mission to get young people to care about EU elections. "The lawmaker, who first tried (and failed) to become an MEP in her mid-20s, has toured the EU, seeking to connect to young crowds — and her rock-star re- ception in some quarters has driven rumours that she could be angling to switch from one top EU job to another (assuming Ursula von der Leyen doesn't get a second term in the Commis- sion presidency)," Politico says. "Perhaps Metsola's most chal- lenging mission has been to steer her institution through the Qa- targate scandal the year before the EU election, amid lurid reve- lations that MEPs allegedly took bribes from Qatar and Morocco. In response to the saga, Metsola proposed a list of (modest) re- forms to beef up transparency and integrity rules, which MEPs recently largely green-lit. Don't expect that to be the end of it: Euroskeptics now have piles of mud to fling during the EU elec- tion, when they will seek to cast Brussels as hopelessly corrupt." MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt European Parliament President Roberta Metsola EUROPEAN Parliament pres- ident Roberta Metsola has said MEPs and candidates in the next European elections of 2024 will have to counter "populist, black- and-white narratives" in a bid to promote the reasons why the EU is a success story. Addressing a press confer- ence in Brussels with Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Metsola said it was the duty of elected representatives to bring out the vote in 2024 by explaining very clearly the type of decisions taken in the House. "This mandate has not been easy," Metsola said of Europe's challenges facing the COVID pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the bloc's un- coupling from Russian gas. "The next elections will de- pend on how we manage them, by ensuring as many people as possible get out to vote," she said, pointing out that in four EU states suffrage will be ex- tended to 16-year-old voters. "It is not an easy task... it is an election where it is always eas- ier to drive a populist, black- and-white narrative, than a constructive, pro-European, centrist one. But I believe that if you counter that narrative by explaining why the EU con- tinues being a success story, we will have people voting for those who continue to have the task of taking difficult legisla- tive decisions." Metsola also warned member states of taking decisions that treated other countries as sec- ond-class citizens, suggesting that the EU's enlargement – which now includes the Ukraine as a possible candidate country – was a matter of both security as well as political integrity. "What concerns me is if one country holds up a decision from being taken – such as Schengen accession to Bulgar- ia and Romania – because that automatically sends a message to that country that they are different classes of citizens, that there is discrimination, and no equality of access. "That's what we'll be fighting for as we go to this election – celebrating 20 years of 10 coun- tries having joined the EU... one that has had a transformational effect, which is why the way we see EU membership, also in the context of enlargement, has to be explained positively." On Tuesday morning, Met- sola and Stefanchuk signed a renewed Memorandum of Un- derstanding for parliamentary democracy support between the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada. EP President says getting the vote out in 2024 European elections very crucial in countering populist, black-and-white narratives