Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba warned that democracy is being "deliberately undermined" by right-wing extremism and populist "strongmen," and urged progressive parties to confront growing inequalities and reconnect with disillusioned voters, as he addressed the closing of the Socialist International Council in Malta on Sunday.

Speaking in in his capacity as Vice President of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, Agius Saliba said that the international socialist movement is facing "one of its most difficult moments", with fewer centre-left governments in Europe and voters increasingly turning to parties offering the "easy way out."

He said that citizens' anxieties are escalating as they watch "wars on the news, European countries rearming, and a US president who behaves like a bully on stage".

He said that it was very worrying that Europe now has to rely on "a cynical Trump peace plan" to secure ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine.

"Our movement needs to find urgent solutions in the name of peace," he said.

Agius Saliba spoke about the problems facing the left, acknowledging that traditional supporters have lost trust due to some mistakes.

Progressive parties, he said, had "cut too deep" in weakening the grassroots bond that once tied them closely to factory workers and ordinary families.

"In that space, the extreme far right has fed on people's uncertainty and marketed itself as more social than us," he said.

"And once they're in government, it turns out they lie. This is the playbook deployed by neofascist parties attacking the free press, just as Orbán is doing in Central Europe, and it works," Agius Saliba said.

He warned that Christian Democrat parties across Europe are now openly willing to form coalitions with the extreme right "to secure their majorities," making it more urgent for socialist parties to "pick the right fights and stand firmly on the side of citizens."

Agius Saliba said voters were sending a direct message through the polls: they want leaders who understand "the rise in energy prices, the rent due at the end of the month, and the widening gap between billionaires and the average worker."

He said that inequality is growing not only between workers and the wealthy, but also between generations, with young people unable to afford a home, women taking on disproportionate care duties, and families lacking affordable childcare.

He said that socialist parties must return to "bread and butter issues," calling affordable housing a basic fundamental right that should be placed at the top of the political agenda.

"People will vote for those who understand their worries. We must be more vocal," he said, pointing also to concrete protections, including a legally enforceable right to disconnect, which Agius Saliba himself is pushing.

The MEP criticised the influence of private online platforms on democratic discourse, singling out Elon Musk for amplifying a political agenda on X and questioning whether Meta, TikTok and others can be trusted with their power.

He said that Socialist International must stand up to "Big Tech giants" and spoke of last week's vote to introduce a minimum age limit on social media in the European Parliament, saying children are being exposed to "toxic, addictive online products".

On climate policy, Agius Saliba argued that the left needs a different approach, noting that extreme weather is already affecting ordinary families but that most climate subsidies are going to the richer parts of society.

"When you worry about the end of the month, you worry less about the end of the world," he said, calling for climate policies that are socially fair and accessible even to those who cannot afford rooftop solar panels.

Agius Saliba spoke of Malta as an example of how economic growth can be paired with expanding civil rights, recalling Labour's reforms on divorce, universal suffrage, and full equality for LGBT+ couples.

He said today's political landscape demands courage and solutions but said that the socialist movement still has the tools to succeed.

"In uncertain times, our task is to find new solutions. We Socialists delivered in the past, and we can do so in the future," Agius Saliba said.

"We need to focus on matters of the future, we will win elections, and make the world a better place," he said.

The International Secretary of the Labour Party and Chairperson of the Socialist International Committee for the Mediterranean John Grech urged parties to "win back our core" from populists, saying vulnerable communities and young people are being aggressively targeted by the far right.

"We need to knock on people's doors and sit with them at their kitchen table," he said, thanking delegates for a successful council held in Malta.