As one of the Vice Presidents of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba has been entrusted with the portfolio of the Digital Agenda as well as the group’s communication and campaigns.

On social media, Agius Saliba, who also heads the three-strong Maltese delegation in the S&D, thanked the Group leader of the European Parliament’s second largest political group, Iratxe García Pérez, for her trust.

The Digital Agenda will remain high on the EU’s agenda in the coming years as it is central to its vision for a future that’s economically strong, socially inclusive, and that allows the bloc to be a global leader in the digital age. Over the past few years, the EU has registered remarkable progress on the “twin transition” – the digital and green transitions intertwined. The key idea behind this notion is that these two goals are mutually reinforcing. Digital technologies can be powerful tools to achieve the green transition, and a sustainable approach is needed for the digital transformation itself. Over the past few years the EU has enacted groundbreaking digital regulations on artificial intelligence, online content moderation, and platform competition. Additionally, policies spurring investment in European semiconductor manufacturing have been championed.

In the Strategic Agenda adoped by the EU’s member state leaders during their last Council meeting in Brussels on 27 June, they stressed the need to continue building a prosperous and competitive Europe, and listed “the green and digital transitions, including a genuine energy union and investment in game-changing digital technologies in Europe” as one of the EU’s priorities. The Strategic Agenda provides the EU’s direction and goals for the 2024-2029 institutional cycle.

The S&D has nine vice-presidents who, together with its President and a treasurer, form the Group’s Bureau, the body that co-ordinates its political activity. Individual vice-presidents are in charge of specific EU policy portfolios and supervise cross-committee issues. Two others are responsible for the S&D Group’s communications and for the co-ordination of parliamentary business.

Alex Agius Saliba was confirmed as Vice President in a ballot held following June’s European elections. He was first elected Group Vice President in December 2021.