Roberta Metsola, an anti-abortion Maltese, is preparing to take over the presidency of the European Parliament – Le Monde

As we can see in the video she posted on her site, each time Roberta Metsola has to face a decisive moment, she resorts to the sign of the cross. In recent days, the Maltese MEP had to sign herself several times, while her future as President of the European Parliament continued to be decided during meetings between the conservatives of the European People’s Party (EPP), the social S&D Democrats and Renew Liberals. The last one took place on Monday, January 17 in the afternoon, and the three political groups finally reached the agreement that sealed its fate.

In the process, Renew, whose elected Macronists constitute the first delegation, like the S&D, called on their troops to vote, the next day, for the EPP candidate and confirmed that they would not present anyone against Roberta Metsola. Except for a dramatic change, the one who has been, since October 2020, the first vice-president of the European Parliament and has held the interim presidency since the death of David Sassoli on January 11, should therefore be elected at the head of the institution. . The other three contenders – Sweden’s Alice Bah Kuhnke for the Greens, Poland’s Kosma Zlotowski for the eurosceptic conservatives and Spain’s Sira Rego for the radical left – have little chance of winning. For Roberta Metsola, who was born forty-three years ago, on January 18, 1979, this is a nice birthday present.

“It is time for the European Parliament to be led by a woman”, she said on Twitter. Before her, two French women, from the ranks of the UDF, and therefore of the EPP, acceded to this function: Simone Veil (1979-1982) and Nicole Fontaine (1999-2002).

Like her predecessors, this trained lawyer, a graduate of the College of Bruges, can claim her European commitment. She ran for the first time in the European elections in 2004, but had to wait until 2013 to become an MEP. Since then, she has invested herself in the subjects of civil liberties, justice and corruption, and has risen through the ranks.

“Young, modern and progressive”

Like her predecessors, she belongs to the less conservative wing of her political group and may in this respect seem frequent to the social democrats or the liberals who sit in Strasbourg. Roberta Metsola “is a young, modern and progressive woman”, judge Manfred Weber, the president of the EPP group. Whether it’s the rule of law, immigration or the rights of LGBT communities, Roberta Metsola has always defended progressive positions. “She has relatively clear borders with the far right, which is not always the case in her political family”, recognizes the MEP (La France insoumise) Manon Aubry.

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