Roberta Metsola

A girl from the Mediterranean

Roberta was born on 18 January 1979. Daughter of Rita and Geoffrey, eldest of three children. She grew up in the seaside town of Gżira in Malta.

Roberta credits the referendum on Malta’s accession to the European Union as the catalyst for her activism. In 2002, Roberta was appointed as Secretary-General for the European Democrat Student organisation, a role she occupied while reading for a Doctor of Laws course at the University of Malta. She graduated in 2003, the same year Malta decided to join the European Union.

Roberta furthered her studies in European Law at the College of Europe in Bruges. This was coupled with a major milestone in her political career – her first electoral campaign. At the age of 25, while still studying, Roberta contested Malta’s first European Parliament elections. She was not elected.

Her Family

Roberta married Ukko Metsola, a Finn, on 1 October 2005. They are the parents of four boys: Luca, Alec, Marc and Kristian.

I am a mother of four boys – the eldest is now a teenager, the youngest is four.

Maltese, European

Roberta always believed that Malta’s place should be as a Member of the European Union. She previously worked for the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union. Following this, worked for the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The First Vice-President of the European Parliament

On 12 November 2020, Roberta Metsola was elected as the First Vice-President of the European Parliament.

It is a tremendous honour to have been elected First Vice-President. I will continue to be a strong voice for European citizens and for Malta and continue to work to build bridges across the political divide.