Simon Busuttil

The Honourable Simon Busuttil MP
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 May 2013
Prime Minister	Joseph Muscat
Preceded by	Lawrence Gonzi
Leader of the Nationalist Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 May 2013
Preceded by	Lawrence Gonzi
Member of the European Parliament
In office 23 March 2004 – 10 March 2013
Succeeded by	Roberta Metsola
Personal details
Born	(1969-03-20) 20 March 1969 Attard, Malta
Political party	Nationalist Party
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Malta University of Sussex
Religion	Roman Catholic

Simon Busuttil (born 20 March 1969) is a Maltese politician who has been Leader of the Nationalist Party and Leader of the Opposition in Malta since 2013.

Education

Busuttil, who is from Lija, graduated as Doctor of Laws (University of Malta, 1993), MA in European Studies (University of Sussex, 1994) and Magister Juris in International Law (University of Malta, 1995). As a student he was President of the Maltese Christian Democrat Students, SDM (1989–91), Student Representative on the Senate of the University of Malta (1991–92) and International Secretary of the Maltese National Youth Council (1992).

Career

Busuttil served as an adviser on EU affairs to a number of government Ministries and as a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta before being appointed Head of the Malta-EU Information Centre (MIC) and member of the Core Negotiating Group (negotiating Malta's membership in the EU) and the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) in 1999.

Member of the European Parliament

In 2004 Busuttil was elected as an MEP with the Nationalist Party in the election for the European Parliament. He was again successful in the 2009 election.

As an MEP he was a member of the bureau of the European People's Party (EPP) and sat on various committees including the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control and its Committee on Budgets. Within the EPP he led the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee and covered issues that include the common European immigration and asylum policy.

He was also a substitute for the Committee on Regional Development, a substitute for the temporary committee on policy challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007–2013, vice-chair of the delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union (including Libya), and a member of the delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.

Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party and MP

In 2012 he was elected Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party following the resignation of Tonio Borg. He was elected an MP in the 2013 general election.

Leader of the Nationalist Party

Immediately after the elections, incumbent Leader Lawrence Gonzi announced that he would not be seeking re-election for the role of leader of the Nationalist Party. Four candidates presented themselves for leadership these being Mario De Marco, Raymond Bugeja, Francis Zammit Dimech and Simon Busuttil. On 4 May 2013, Busuttil obtained 50.3% of the votes while Mario De Marco obtained 38.5% and conceded the race, leaving Busuttil de facto leader elect. A further vote was taken on 8 May in order for him to officially receive 2/3 of the votes, the threshold required by the election rules. Simon Busuttil was confirmed Leader having attained the two thirds threshold.

Decorations

• 2003: Member of the National Order of Merit of Malta
• 2004: Winner of The Outstanding Young Person Award of the Junior Chamber (Malta)

External links

• Personal profile of Simon Busuttil in the European Parliament's database of members
• Radio Interview with Nathan Morley of CyBC