11 April 2024
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Fianna Fáil MEP and candidate for Ireland South, Billy Kelleher has said that Ireland sending a strengthened Eurosceptic delegation to the European Parliament after the June elections risks damaging Ireland’s global reputation.
“In 2019, Irish voters sent four openly Eurosceptic MEPs to Brussels, including one who campaigned for the UK, including the North of Ireland, to leave the European Union. Based on current polling, it is likely this number will increase to possibly five or six MEPs with both left wing and right wing Eurosceptics now in the hunt for seats.
“This would be a disaster for Ireland Inc. from a reputational point of view. Ireland is an open, global trading economy. We rely on a free market to sustain our SMEs and to attract FDI.
“Eurosceptic MEPs have embarrassed us over the past five years with voting records in direct opposition to the will of the majority of the Irish people. Their voting records on Ukraine and China do not represent Ireland well. Additionally, they consistently seek to undermine the economic foundations of our country’s prosperity.
“It’s time the silent, pro-European majority stood up for Ireland’s place at the heart of Europe and for our country’s prosperity. Polling shows that nearly 9 in 10 Irish people support Ireland’s continued membership of the Union, so it is time our European Parliament delegation reflected that.
“If you’re working in the pharma or the tech sectors, farming or financial services, or work for the tens of thousands Irish SMEs profiting from our membership of the Single Market, Europe matters to you and to your family.
“The European Parliament is no longer the debating chamber it was in the past; it’s a fully equal co-legislator with the power to affect our lives and our livelihoods.
“Europe matters to Ireland. We cannot risk our future prosperity by ignoring the importance of this June’s European Elections.
“I’m proud of my progressive, centrist, pro-European track record in the European Parliament. We need more Fianna Fáil MEPs representing the position of the vast majority of Irish people once the votes are counted in June,” concluded Kelleher.