MEP Alex Agius Saliba elected vice president of the European socialists

Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba has been elected as one of the nine vice presidents of the Socialists and Democrats Group of the European Parliament.  The vote took place in Strasbourg on Wednesday ahead of a meeting of the group's leadership on Thursday.  He got 85% of the votes of socialist MEPs.  In a brief message on social media, Agius Saliba said he was honoured by the trust shown in him by his colleagues.  As one of the grouping's nine vice-presidents, Agius Saliba will be part of the S&D Group's Bureau, which coordinates the group's political activity. Individual vice-presidents are in charge of specific EU policy portfolios and supervise cross-committee issues.  He is the second Maltese S&D MEP to serve as a vice-president of his grouping, following Miriam Dalli.  Prime Minister Robert Abela led the congratulatory messages, telling the MEP "your success makes us proud and reflects the trust of the group in our party and what it represents." Agius Saliba was elected to the European Parliament two-and-a-half years ago. He said he was committed to working on political priorities for European economic recovery and the emergence of a more social Europe.