INTERNATIONAL: Maltese conservative politician Roberta Metsola is the new president of the European Parliament. While many praise the 43-year-old as a bridge-builder, others criticize her anti-abortion stance.

Roberta Metsola has always made it clear that, for her, the European Union is not a complex bureaucratic institution but rather a real passion. It's not a bloc that is rattled by crisis, instead a place to foster European values and enthusiasm for a project that emerged from the ashes of the World War II.

Now, the conservative politician from Malta has to prove she can turn her words into action.

On Tuesday, Roberta Metsola was elected president of the European Parliament — the same day that she has turned 43.

Although Metsola's election may be a welcome birthday gift for the Maltese lawmaker, it did not come as a surprise.

In a common agreement, the three biggest European parliamentary groups — the conservative European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats, and the liberal Renew group — had decided that a conservative representative would take over the post at midterm.

Metsola’s Malta's Nationalist Party is part of the center-right EPP group, seemed to be the obvious choice, as she is respected across party lines and known as a bridge-builder.

David Casa, a party colleague of Metsola's and fellow member of the European Parliament, summed it up: "We are all used to division and crisis. And Roberta's rise and popularity prove that it's still possible to conduct politics through consensus."

The Maltese politician is only the third woman at the head of the European Parliament, following in the footsteps of her French predecessors Simone Veil and Nicole Fontaine.

The European Parliament is the EU's lawmaking body, representing the bloc's 450 million citizens. It is directly elected by EU voters every five years.

Metsola has failed to get elected twice.

She is no stranger to failure. Metsola only managed to get elected to the European Parliament in 2013 after failing twice. Since then, she's seen a swift rise. In 2020, she moved on to become one of the EU parliament's first vice presidents. As a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, she has defended the right to asylum in the EU.

Following the murder of her countrywoman, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Metsola has been calling on the Maltese government to ensure media freedom and fight corruption.

Maltese Member of European Parliament David Casa, who called Metsola one of his closest friends,has said, it was her determination and ambition that made her stand out. Both Metsola and Casa had campaigned for Malta to join the European Union in 2004. Metsola has repeatedly said it was this goal that sparked her political activism.

Many EU lawmakers have rooted for her on Tuesday. Fellow conservative parliamentarian Stelios Kympouropoulos, from Greece, has described her as "bold enough to be the face of an extroverted and strong parliament."

As the European Parliament often struggles to be on par within the EU's other institutions, the European Council and the European Commission, boldness is certainly a trait that could help push through the parliament's interests.

^{PHOTO: NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ROBERTA METSOLA SAYING SHE WILL 'PUSH FORWARD' THE EU PARLIAMENTARY BODY'S POSITION OF SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS WHEN ASKED ABOUT}