Maria WALSH

EPP

Maria WALSH

MEP · Ireland

Plenary speeches · European Parliament

Plenary speeches · EU Parliament

What Maria spoke about.

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Speeches updated 16 days ago

All Speeches

115

Since July 1, 2024

Time at the Floor

2.9h

≈ 174 min

Average speech length

1:29 min

≈ 1.5 min · Rank 255/690

Activity

Monthly speeches

Speeches Ranking

Since July 1, 2024

Top 5 Show all

Rank		Name	Country	Group	Speeches
1		Lukas Sieper	GermanyDE	Renew Europe (Renew)	356
2		Sebastian Tynkkynen	FinlandFI	European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)	329
3		Juan Fernando López Aguilar	SpainES	Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)	301
4		João Oliveira	PortugalPT	The Left in the European Parliament (GUE/NGL)	207
5		Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis	LithuaniaLT	Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)	198

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

EU-US trade negotiations (debate)

Mr President, there is no winner when it comes to tariffs between two of the world's largest economies. We've heard this repeatedly throughout this debate. Jobs are lost; prices of goods go up; the cost of doing business goes up. And, ultimately, no one benefits from it – not Americans, not Europeans. Neither consumers nor companies gain from what is going on. Giving up on trade relations is not t…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

Lessons from Budapest Pride: the urgent need for an EU wide anti-discrimination law and defending fundamental rights against right-wing attacks (topical debate)

Madam President, colleagues, on 28 June, the streets of Budapest were alive with defiance. Budapest Pride was a protest, but it was not only the LGBTQ+ community that took a stand. Thousands of individuals came together with unwavering support to oppose the relentless erosion of the rule of law in Hungary. The message that rang loud from Budapest is that our leaders, this Parliament and our Commis…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

Freedom of assembly in Hungary and the need for the Commission to act (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, in March, the Hungarian Government banned the freedom of assembly – we've heard this again and again today. It is one of the most important, core values of our democracy, a right that allows us to gather together for common purpose, including peaceful protests and demonstrations. This ban is one of the many cracks in the foundations of fundamental rights …

17

Jun

2025

EN Speech

Situation in the Middle East (joint debate)

Mr President, colleagues, High Representative, earlier this month, a report from within an EU institution was published online which clearly spelled out Israel's unequivocal and brutal war crimes in Gaza. A report from inside our own European Union documented Israel's deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of warfare. This is a report that was compiled in November 2024, and since then, while tho…

16

Jun

2025

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, recent riots on the island of Ireland, which began in the town of Ballymena in County Antrim, have morphed from concern about a tragic sexual assault allegation into xenophobic violence against migrant families. As Amnesty Northern Ireland Director Patrick Corrigan said, we are just one petrol bomb away from racially motivated murder. Families have been forced from their homes as gro…

22

May

2025

EN Speech

Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2023 (debate)

Mr President, I speak today on behalf of the communities in Donegal and Mayo – places where families are living in homes that are literally falling apart around them. These houses were built with defective concrete blocks containing too much mica and pyrite, causing serious structural damage, emotional and financial strain for many, many people. In 2023, I joined colleagues from the Petitions Comm…

6

May

2025

EN Speech

A unified EU response to unjustified US trade measures and global trade opportunities for the EU (debate)

Mr President, the audiovisual industry is worth over EUR 1 billion to Ireland's economy. From actor Rob Lowe to Variety magazine, the world recognises our island as a global production powerhouse. Trump's latest threat to slap a 100 % tariff on foreign movies could wipe out our film industry in an instant. Over 16 000 jobs, many in rural Ireland, hang in the balance. A far cry from Hollywood's dra…

2

Apr

2025

EN Speech

Recent legislative changes in Hungary and their impact on fundamental rights (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I was delighted in your statement where you said you're going to pay personal attention, because as I sit here in this Chamber again for the second mandate, I'm listening to these speeches and I cannot help but feel grossly concerned about the direction of travel. Hungary's recently passed legislation is yet another attack on the LGBTI+ community, but this action exp…

31

Mar

2025

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, as we sit here in Parliament tonight, thousands of workers in the pharmaceutical and medtech sectors, many in the west of Ireland, are sitting at home facing 48 hours of deep uncertainty. Ireland is arguably the single most exposed EU Member State to a transatlantic trade war. In 2023 alone, we exported around 36 billion worth of pharmaceuticals and chemicals to the United States,…

13

Mar

2025

EN Speech

A Vision for Agriculture and Food (debate)

Mr President, the Commissioner mentioned two words: stability and predictability. Commissioner, if you ask young men and women in Ireland right now whether they would consider going into farming, sadly most would say 'no'. You heard this no doubt, when you visited Ireland in January, because land is expensive, credit is hard to get, succession is complex to navigate and incomes and markets are vol…

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

Adoption of the proposal for a Parenthood Regulation (debate)

Madam President, these debates always make me incredibly disappointed in our democratic policies and belief systems. We represent millions of Europeans – LGBTI and other, all – and it saddens me that in this House, that is built on bringing people together, that we forget that in many, many of our speeches. Let me bring it back to why we're discussing this very important parenthood regulation. An …

11

Mar

2025

EN Speech

Roadmap for Women`s Rights (debate)

Mr President, according to the European Commission, there's 229 million women living in the EU, 5 % more than men. Again, I point out – just ironic – about 5 % of elected officials here sit in this House to debate such an important issue, ignoring the 229 million people that elected us to be here. I certainly welcome the roadmap, but let's be very clear to all EU citizens on the realities facing w…

13

Feb

2025

EN Speech

EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, farmers in Ireland are extremely worried about the prospect of additional tonnes of meat produced at lower costs and poorer environmental standards entering our EU, in direct competition with local meat produced to the highest of European standards – standards we set here for them. As an island nation, Irish farmers know more than most how important trade is, especially…

12

Feb

2025

EN Speech

Silent crisis: the mental health of Europe’s youth (debate)

Mr President, the mental health crisis among young people in Ireland and across the EU demands urgent attention, and it'd be remiss of me not to acknowledge the fact that lesson what 2 % or 3 % representation of this Parliament sits in the Chamber tonight to discuss such an important issue, that is, the second leading cause of death for our young people: death by suicide. And yet, Commissioner, we…

20

Jan

2025

EN Question

Ceasefire in Gaza - the urgent need to release the hostages, to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to pave the way for a two-state solution (debate)

Mr President, what lies before us now is a fragile promise of peace. The ceasefire, while essential, is only the first step, and our focus must now shift to two key issues: accountability and the long road to rebuilding Gaza. A ceasefire does not erase the wrongs of yesterday, and peace will not take root without justice. As the violence ends, we hope, we must ensure that accountability is brought…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

Challenges facing EU farmers and agricultural workers: improving working conditions, including their mental well-being (debate)

Mr President, in 2023, the University College Dublin conducted a survey of over 250 Irish farmers. Over 20 % of farmers surveyed shared they had experienced suicidal ideation in the previous two weeks and nearly 40 % reported experiencing moderate to extremely severe stress. These alarming statistics are a snapshot into the mental health crisis gripping our agricultural community across the EU. Ir…

17

Dec

2024

EN Speech

Situation of female politicians in EU candidate and neighbouring countries facing harassment and cyber violence (debate)

Mr President, in 2020, a University of Galway study found that 96 % of Irish female politicians received threatening messages, while three quarters faced online threats of physical violence. Deepfake technology has escalated the threat of online harassment of all female politicians. Deepfakes are being weaponised to spread fake news, political misinformation and, most alarmingly, to perpetrate sex…

26

Nov

2024

EN Speech

Urgent need to tackle the gender pay gap (debate)

Madam President, we speak tonight on the urgent need to address the gender pay gap, and time and time again, discussions about equality seem to echo late at night in an empty Chamber, leaving me with a great sense of frustration. There are 20 colleagues here tonight, representing over 51 % of our population in the EU. Last mandate we delivered binding pay transparency measures through the directiv…

25

Nov

2024

EN Question

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (debate)

Good evening, colleague. I wouldn't be waving. How dare you? How dare you insult the women that represent thousands of women, our allies, who represent thousands of women across the EU? And actually, as you were speaking, colleague, can you really stand over the fact that, in your country ‑ the Netherlands, I believe ‑ 33 % of women in a relationship have experienced violence by an intimate partne…

25

Nov

2024

EN Speech

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (debate)

Mr President, I speak this evening with mixed emotions as we address the issue that has impacted generations of women across the EU for far too long, and that is violence against women. Like some of you in this debate, every time I speak on this growing issue, the weight of inaction grows heavier. Yet I am also immensely proud of the Parliament's landmark legislative achievement passed in this las…

23

Oct

2024

EN Speech

Findings of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Poland's abortion law (debate)

Madam President, I come from a country that has endured the harsh consequences of restricting women's reproductive healthcare choices. In Ireland, there were times when pregnant women were institutionalised, deprived of their rights and subjected to deep suffering due to state-imposed restrictions on their reproductive decisions. While Ireland has made significant progress, the scars of the past s…

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

Situation in Sudan (debate)

Mr President, leaders across the globe are failing to heed the desperate cries of hunger in Sudan. Young children are starving to death in the world's largest humanitarian crisis. As many as 150 000 people have been killed by fighting. More than 10 million have fled their homes, and 25 million people are at risk of hunger. Famine has been declared in Darfur, the only place in the world where a ful…

8

Oct

2024

EN Speech

Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)

Madam President, once again, I stand here and reiterate the call for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. I do so with the singular intention of bringing about peace and ending the loss and pain felt by innocent lives on all sides over these past 12 months. The agreement is of economic importance to Israel, with an estimated worth of 46 billion alone last year and it is EU stro…

7

Oct

2024

EN Speech

Need to fight the systemic problem of gender-based violence in Europe (debate)

Mr President, gender equality has been and remains central to my work and I'm honoured to join the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee this term. The trailblazers of our last mandate – and I think of Evin and my colleague Frances Fitzgerald – who set a strong foundation with the directive combating violence against women. But our work continues. Violence against women is a systemic proble…

7

Oct

2024

EN Speech

One year after the 7 October terrorist attacks by Hamas (debate)

Madam President, most of us know where we were on this day 12 months ago. But a year from now, where will we be? Will we be inside this very Chamber, marking the second anniversary of 7 October, while an escalating war continues to wage outside? Some 42 988 people have died, 105 400 people are injured and that, dear friends, is just what's been reported. While we must reflect on the past 12 months…