Roberta Metsola tells Malta: ‘Our tiny size is our superpower’

‘Malta’s size can be its advantage’ – Metsola
By Hot Malta Staff | Sunday, 09 June 2024

“Look at a map: we’re a freckle on the Mediterranean,” Roberta Metsola told a packed hall in Valletta last night, “but freckles are what make a face memorable.” The European Parliament President, home for a whistle-stop weekend, had swapped Brussels jargon for the unmistakable cadence of a Sliema childhood—rolling r’s, English peppered with Maltese, hands that measured fish-market distances. In 25 minutes she argued that Malta’s 316 km² are not a liability but a launchpad, provided islanders stop apologising for them.

The speech, delivered at the Malta Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting, felt less like a policy address and more like a family pep-talk. Metsola recalled bus rides where the driver still knew every passenger’s nickname, Festa fireworks synchronized to the second because the village engineer went to school with the altar boy, and how her grandmother’s Gozitan cheeselets reached the neighbour’s door before the cat could lick them. “Proximity breeds trust,” she said. “And trust is the currency Europe is desperate to print.”

Local context: Why size matters now
Malta is Europe’s fastest-ageing per-capita economy. Our unemployment rate is enviable, but so is our rent inflation. Tech giants plant flags in SmartCity while traditional fishermen watch fuel prices outpace tuna auctions. Metsola’s message—delivered days before Malta takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU’s Committee of the Regions—was timed to influence how Brussels allocates €2.1 billion in cohesion funds earmarked for micro-states. She wants 15% ring-fenced for “micro-solutions”: neighbourhood batteries that store rooftop solar, AI-driven drip irrigation for terraced fields, and a Mediterranean language-tech hub that turns Maltese code-switching into a machine-learning goldmine.

Cultural significance: The village square goes viral
The President invoked festa season to make her point. “When five brass bands squeeze through Mdina’s narrow gate, that’s not folklore; it’s logistics mastery.” She proposed exporting the concept of “festa project management” to sister cities—Palermo, Nice, even Barcelona—charging consultancy fees that flow back to local każini. “We already crowd-fund statues costing €60,000 in six weeks; let’s teach Europe how to crowdfund green roofs.” The audience—half suited bankers, half NGO volunteers in slogan tees—erupted. You could almost hear Għanja guitars riffing in approval.

Community impact: Jobs that fit in a phone booth
Metsola’s office has quietly piloted “Micro-Task Malta” in Qormi and Xewkija: a platform that chops EU public-procurement contracts into bite-size pieces small businesses can digest. Translation: the one-woman accounting firm above the pastizzeria can now invoice the Commission for three hours of Slovenian-to-English VAT analysis. In the pilot villages, average household income rose 8% without a single new parking lot. She wants the scheme rolled out island-wide by 2026, paired with a €1 million fund for “nanopreneurs” – defined as businesses turning less than €50,000 a year. Critics warn of atomisation; fans cheer survival.

The Gozo caveat
Not everyone was clapping. Gozitan mayor Paul Xerri reminded Metsola that “advantage” evaporates when a hospital closure means a 25-kilometre sea crossing. Metsola counter-pledged to table an EU directive treating inter-island ferries as “continuity of road”, making them eligible for infrastructure grants currently reserved for highways. If passed, Gozo could see subsidised freight rates for farmers and cheaper EV shuttles for students—potentially reversing the slow exodus of under-30s.

Conclusion: A call for cheeky ambition
Walking out into Republic Street, the air smelled of June honey and diesel—a very Maltese perfume. Metsola’s words lingered: “If we keep moaning we’re small, we’ll shrink. If we sell small as smart, we’ll grow rich.” Rich, she clarified, not just in GDP but in grandparents who don’t have to emigrate to see their grandkids. Whether Brussels buys the pitch depends on Malta convincing 26 bigger cousins that a freckle can be a beauty spot, not a blemish. For tonight, at least, the island that invented festa fireworks believes it can light up the continent without burning its own skyline.