President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola visited the site of Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination and met with members of the Caruana Galizia family during her first official visit to the country since taking office.

Speaking with The Malta Independent, she said that visiting this site was a natural choice to make during her first official visit.

"The European Parliament, from the day Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated, has had the same message, that we protect journalists everywhere and protect all those investigating corruption and criminality. The EU must be a space of protection and no corner in the EU should fail in that obligation. That is why I, as President of the European Parliament, chose to come here to pass on this message and give my commitment that, for the next two and a half years as President, I will continue in this work."

Asked for her opinion about the progress in the assassination investigation, she said she welcomes all progress, "but the message is clear, that we will continue working until all the truth comes out."

Asked, given the upcoming election, whether she intends to get involved in local politics, Metsola said: "I don't make a difference between EU politics and local politics. Like every former President that came before me, we were both President as well as a Member of the European Parliament elected from our own country. In my case, today as President I represent all my colleagues and the majority that is the EU Parliament. At the same time I recognise that I am elected from Malta and I thank all the Maltese and Gozitan people for trusting me with this enormous responsibility two and a half years ago, and today as President."

Earlier in the day, President George Vella met with President Metsola.

While, once again, wishing Metsola well for her work in this important post, President Vella spoke about the great responsibilities this role entails. This is because the European Parliament is a fundamental pillar of democracy that conveys the voice of the citizens directly to the institutions of the European Union.

President Vella explained the need for greater awareness among European citizens about the work that the Members of the European Parliament do and how this directly affects their daily lives.

Presidents Vella and Metsola discussed several challenges that are currently on the European Union's agenda, such as post-Covid recovery, the Conference on the Future of Europe, immigration, climate change, as well as political developments in the EU's Southern and Eastern Neighbourhoods.

For her part, President of the EU Parliament Metsola expressed her appreciation for the support she received from President Vella, on behalf of all the people of Malta and Gozo. She also explained how the pandemic had a major impact on the operations of the European Parliament and gave an overview of the current priorities on the Parliament's agenda, which include immigration, the environment, and the digital sector.

After the meeting, President Vella described the talks as very interesting and ones that gave a clear explanation of the vision and goals with which Metsola is carrying out her duties and functions. He also stated that this is a clear example of how Maltese people, especially when united, can overcome challenges related to the geography and size of our country and succeed in the highest international positions.