Malta’s MEPs failed to take part in a quarter of all votes taken in the plenary of the European Parliament, placing last in a ranking by a transparency watchdog.
However, the six Maltese representatives also had their fair share of success, placing first in the number of opinions drafted and third in the number of draft reports that made it to the plenary. The end-of-term report by Vote Watch Europe, an independent organisation, says the high ranking was primarily a result of the seven opinions drafted by veteran Nationalist MEP David Casa.
Vote Watch analysed only those reports that reached plenary stage and found that Maltese MEPs had an average of four reports each to their name.
But when it came to co-decision reports – used in circumstances when the Parliament and the EU council have an equal say in approving legislation – Maltese MEPs came last, with no reports to their name in five years.
METSOLA, MIZZI, CUSCHIERI DEFEND THEIR RECORD
In a reaction, Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola said that in the year that she was a Member of the European Parliament her personal voting record was over 96%, which, according to the same VoteWatch website, put her among the top 35 MEPs overall in the last five years.
Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi said registered 86.5% for attendance and voting sessions. She had not been able to vote only when, on behalf of the European Parliament she took part in missions to Nigeria and Ethiopia.
"As I attended in all parliamentary plenaries and voting sessions held in Strasbourg, Brussels and during missions on behalf of the EP, my voting participation is 100%," she said.
Labour MEP Joseph Cuschieri said he was present for 89.3% of the voting sessions held in Strasbourg and Brussels since he became an MEP in December 2011. He did not attend the March 2013 plenary session since it coincided with the elections in Malta.
His result, he said, placed him as the Maltese MEP with the second best attendance and voting record.
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