Four of the six Maltese MEPs have been appointed to serve on key European Parliament interparliamentary delegations for the 10th term.

Alex Agius Saliba (S&D) will be part of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, Daniel Attard (S&D) will be on the Delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Delegation for relations with Iran, Thomas Bajada (S&D) will be serving on the Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, while David Casa (EPP) will be joining the Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula.

These delegations play a vital role in fostering relationships and promoting European interests around the globe. They maintain relations and exchange information with parliamentarians in other countries, regions and organisations to foster the EU’s core values: liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. Only official delegations, duly authorised by the Conference of Presidents, are permitted to carry out activities on behalf of the European Parliament and to represent its position.

The announcement was made during the plenary session on Thursday morning, following a vote on Wednesday (adopted with a show of hands) to correct the numerical composition of the delegations, replacing a July 2024 decision.

The European Parliament will have 48 interparliamentary delegations in this legislative term – four more than in the 2019-2024 legislature. The political groups and non-attached Members decide internally which MEPs sit on each delegation.

The process to establish Parliament’s delegations is set out in Rule 229 of its Rules of Procedure, which states that the composition of the delegations must ensure, as far as possible, that member states, political views, and gender are fairly represented, while no delegation may have more than one third of its MEPs coming from the same country.

Delegation Chairs and Vice-Chairs will be elected at their constitutive meetings on 30^th September and 3^rd October.

Main photo: Getty Images