Jason Azzopardi was born in 1971. In 1994 he
graduated Notary Public and in 1996 Doctor of Laws after which he
started practicing Criminal Law in the courts of Malta. In 1996 he
graduated MA in Financial Services from the University.
Jason Azzopardi has been active in the
Nationalist Party since he was 18 where he served in various positions
within the party structures. In May 1999 he was elected PN International
Secretary, a post he held until May 2004.
He was first elected to Parliament in 1998 and
was re-elected in the 2003 and 2008 general elections. In the last
legislature he was the Chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs
Parliamentary Committee and member on the Privileges Parliamentary
Committee. He also served as Head of the Parliamentary Delegation for
the OSCE parliamentary assembly.
Following the 2008 general elections, he was
appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Revenues and Land in the Ministry
of Finance, Economy and Investment. Following a cabinet re-distribution
of responsibilities in 2009, Jason Azzopardi was also entrusted with the
sector of Small Businesses.
During his term as Parliamentary Secretary Jason
Azzopardi piloted amongst others the Small Business Act, introducing for
the first time legislation to regulate small businesses in Malta;
Amendments to Notary Law with an outlook to curb abuse by the very few,
and hence strengthen the good name of the profession; Amendments to
Chapter 88, which regulates the expropriation of land introducing an
objective mechanism to determine a value to historical property.
In January 2012, Jason Azzopardi was appointed
Minister for Fair Competition, Small Business, and Consumers.
Jason Azzopardi was the driving force behind an
enforcement and awareness campaign calling for more responsible and
sustainable use of public property.
Jason Azzopardi is Malta’s SME Envoy to the
European Commission. In 2010 he was awarded Junior Chamber
International’s Young Persons of the World Award.
