Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has been appointed to a senior administrative role within the European Parliament, becoming the first Maltese national to join the institution's top management ranks since Malta joined the EU in 2004.

Busuttil, who recently completed a five-year term as secretary-general of the European People's Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament, will now serve as a director within the Parliament's administration. In his new post, he will be responsible for operational planning within DG LINC, the directorate overseeing logistics, interpretation, and conferences.

European Parliament directors report to 16 director-generals who lead the Parliament's various directorates, all of whom answer to Secretary-General Alessandro Chiocchetti - the institution's most senior administrative official. Chiocchetti previously served as head of cabinet to Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

The appointment marks a shift for Busuttil, who moves from the political structures of the EPP to the European Parliament's permanent civil service.

Busuttil, who served as a PN leader from 2013 until 2017 and later as a PN MP, moved to Brussels in 2020 after being handpicked by EPP leader Manfred Weber for the role of secretary-general. Following reports last year that Weber planned to replace him with his head of cabinet, Ouarda Bensouag, Busuttil spent several months as principal advisor to Weber before transitioning to his new position within the Parliament's administration.