Cyrus Engerer is a Maltese Member of European Parliament representing the Labour Party. A gay rights activist, he was the leading spokesperson for the Yes campaign at the 2011 Maltese divorce referendum. In 2021 he was tasked with negotiating the European Parliaments historic resolution on the declaration of the European Union as an LGBTQ Freedom zone, in reaction to the establishment of so called "LGBT-Free zones" in Poland. Engerer later went on to write the European Parliaments resolution which condemned the laws in Hungary which effectively banned "LGBT propaganda" in the vicinity of schools. From 2014 till 2019 Engerer was the Prime Minister's special envoy to the European Union. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in November 2020. After he joined the Labour Party the Police of Malta opened an investigation against him, leading to his father's arrest, the opening of a court case against him on spreading pornography and the arrest of his mother on election day. He himself was convicted for spreading revenge porn and received a suspended two years term imprisonment. He is the partner of Partit Laburista's Member of Parliament Randolph De Battista.
Early life and career
Engerer read an Honours Degree in European Studies and Communications at the University of Malta, graduating in 2007 with a dissertation on "The Role of the European Parliament: Developments, the Constitution and Future Prospects". He then obtained a Master's in European Politics from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium with a dissertation on ‘Malta Europeanised: Political Parties and Electoral Campaigns’.
Upon graduation, Engerer was recruited at the Office of the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi as project managed on EU-funded projects. He later joined the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) and worked as adviser on EU funds to various Ministries, local councils and NGOs.
Political career
In a highly polarised society, Engerer was raised in a politically mixed environment with his father being a traditional Nationalist supporter from Sliema, while his mother from Valletta was an activist in the Labour Party, with her family being ardent Mintoff supporters.
Engerer is known for his public stands on civil rights, Malta's national identity and the protection of the environment.
Nationalist Party (2003-2011)
Engerer's first involvement in Maltese politics was related to Malta's accession to the European Union. Convinced that membership augmented Malta's opportunities for growth, he joined the Moviment IVA Malta fl-Ewropa and campaigned for Malta's EU membership during the accession referendum in 2003.
The same year, prompted by the party's positive stand on EU membership, Engerer joined the conservative Nationalist Party (PN).
At the 2009 administrative elections in Malta, Engerer was elected to the Sliema Local Council, third among ten candidates. Within the Council he was given the remit on EU affairs, EU funding, youths and sport. In 2010 Engerer was appointed deputy mayor of Sliema.
Engerer frequently criticised the Nationalist Party's conservative positions, especially on issues related to civil rights and liberties, while he also regularly questioned his party's democratic credentials. Commentators like Raphael Vassallo noted that his progressive views on divorce and gay rights would have made him more at ease in a European liberal party, than in the traditionally conservative Nationalist Party. During the last PN General Council he attended, Engerer went as far as hinting that Nationalist Party was cut off from society's realities.
2011 Divorce referendum
During the referendum campaign for the introduction of divorce legislation in Malta in 2011, Engerer joined the Yes Movement Iva Għad-Divorzju, Iva Għaż-Żwieġ and was also the leading spokesperson for the Stand Up campaign.