Roberta Metsola was first elected to the European Parliament in 2013, becoming one of Malta's first female Members of the European Parliament. She was re-elected as an MEP with a record amount of votes for a female candidate in 2014. Professionally she is a lawyer who has specialised in European law and politics. Dr Metsola served within the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union from 2004 to 2012 as Malta’s Legal and Judicial Cooperation Attaché and Head of the Justice and Home Affairs Unit there. Following that, she joined the team of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, as a legal advisor. She left that role to fill the vacant seat of current Opposition Leader in Malta, Simon Busuttil, as an MEP. In her student years, she was highly active in various organisations, acting as the Secretary-General for the European Democrat Student organisation between 2002-2003. Born in 1979, Roberta Metsola is married to Ukko Metsola and is the mother of three young boys. She graduated from the University of Malta and the College of Europe in Bruges.