Nationalist MEPs Roberta Metsola and Therese Comodini Cachia have been listed among the top 40 MEPs who matter in 2017 by Politico.
The list drawn up by the top news organisation is not a collection of the longest CVs, nor those with the most name recognition.
"We've thought hard about who is setting the agenda, who stands out from their peers, who drives trends both within the legislative arena and in the wider EU political debate — where MEPs often play an ambassadorial role," Politico said.
Roberta MetsolaDr Metsola is described as Malta's de facto shadow foreign minister during the Maltese presidency, all while doing her day job as an MEP.
She co-authored Parliament’s report on how Europe should address its refugee crisis, and worked for the EU’s Foreign High Representative Cathy Ashton in 2012-2013.
In selecting Dr Comodini Cachia, Politico says no single policy fight is more divisive, no ongoing reform process has taken as long as copyright.
"Spanning the Parliament’s full ideological spectrum and filled with strong views from the biggest EU governments, this debate is a titanic struggle and it's up to Comodini Cachia to make sure the legislative ship avoids the icebergs."
Therese Comodini CachiaThe list is diversified with more women and fewer Germans. The number of Germans has dropped from 16 in 2016 (including eight of the top 16) to 11 in 2017.
The leader of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament Manfred Weber is at the top of the list, replacing former Parliament President Martin Schulz who has returned to Germany to pursue the chancellorship in this year’s election. Weber's position reflects the fact that he is the leading force in keeping Parliament’s pro-EU parties working together.
Politico decided to exclude British MEPs from the list altogether, in recognition that, with the triggering of Article 50, political interest in British MEPs will dwindle.