PN MP Simon Busuttil will be stepping down as a Member of Parliament in order to take up a top jon in the European People's Party (the EU Parliamentary party that the PN forms part of).
Busuttil will be the EPP's Secretary General as of 1 March.
Opposition Leader Adrian Delia congratulated Busuttil for being appointed to such a prestigious post. “This appointment does not only show the trust in Busuttil, but also the respect the PN has in the EU.”
Through his appointment, the PN said, Malta will again be given a chance to rebuild its reputation that was broken by Joseph Muscat, by corruption, and by the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
“Through this post I will be able to work for our country to regain the respect it lost,” Busuttil said, adding that he will work to ensure that Europe is on the people of Malta’s side to defend the values of justice and the rule of law in the country.
The PN said that Busuttil will be resigning as an MP in the coming weeks so that he can officially take up his new post.
PN MEP David Casa posted the following on Twitter: "@SimonBusuttil is the @EPPGroup's new Secretary General. This prestigious role places Simon at the helm of the largest and strongest political group in @Europarl_EN, and is deserved by Simon who is respected and admired across the board." PN MEP Roberta Metsola also congratulated him.
Busuttil had become an MP back in 2013, when he was also elected Opposition Leader prior to this, he had been an MEP. He remained in that position until the PN's defeat in the 2017 general elections. The main focus of his campaign was the fight against corruption.
Following this, Busuttil stepped down from being the Opposition Leader but remained in Parliament. This caused problems within the PN, with many seeing Busuttil as a rival for his successor, Adrian Delia, however more recently the rift within the PN seems to have quietened down.