What Nina spoke about.

7 Oct

2026

EN Speech

An ambitious multiannual financial framework 2028-2034 for a strong and resilient Europe (debate)

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Madam President, the next seven-year EU budget is just around the corner. We are balancing major priorities: research, rural development, innovation, defence, education, young people. But underpinning all of these priorities is food security. Because without a secure and resilient food supply, we cannot have strong communities, a strong economy or a strong Europe. And that security starts with a p…

5 Oct

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, on 13 October 1994, MEPs John Hume, Ian Paisley and Jim Nicholson walked into the office of European Commission President Jacques Delors. It was the very same day a loyalist ceasefire was announced. Delors asked them one simple question: how can Europe help? The answer became the very first peace programme. More than 30 years later, Europe needs to ask the same question with fresh fo…

14 Sep

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Madam President, Commissioner, this September, we mark Alzheimer's Awareness Month. Today, more than 9 million people live with dementia in the EU, but by 2050, that figure will increase by 60 %. That's why I recently hosted Alzheimer's Europe and the FTD Brothers in the European Parliament, and their message to President Metsola and EU Commissioners was simple: the time for action is now. Lots is…

9 Jul

2026

EN Speech

Evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy and follow-up (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, the common fisheries policy has failed to deliver, and while there is no silver bullet, CFP reform must address the following. One, levelling the playing field post-Brexit. Two, protecting the Hague preferences. It cannot continue to become an annual bargaining chip. Three, the EU budget: while we in Parliament have restored Commission cuts, we need to deliver as par…

7 Jul

2026

EN Speech

Presentation of the programme of activities of the Irish Presidency (debate)

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Madam President, Taoiseach, Ireland's EU Presidency will not be judged in this debating Chamber. It will not be judged in negotiating rooms in Brussels, Strasbourg or Dublin, nor will it happen in weeks or months after it comes to an end. But it will happen around kitchen tables. It will happen at farmyard gates and in school classrooms. In the decades ahead, for me, there are two fences we must c…

15 Jun

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Thank you, President. This principle must guide Ireland's Presidency of the European Union. Ireland has the opportunity to strengthen competitiveness and trade. We must make progress on the next EU budget and ensure adequate funding for the common agricultural policy to protect farm incomes, food security and rural communities. Online safety must also be prioritised and effective age verification …

19 May

2026

EN Speech

Recommendation on the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (debate)

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Mr President, High Representative, in a time of geopolitical instability, rising humanitarian crisis and growing pressure on aid budgets, defending multilateralism has never been more urgent. Seventy years ago, Ireland joined the UN, an institution at the heart of our foreign policy and our commitment to peace and international law. As we look to the 81st UN General Assembly, we must reaffirm the …

19 May

2026

EN Speech

Presentation of the Fertilisers Action Plan (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, this plan will be judged by one test. Will it lower fertiliser costs and secure availability for farmers? The geopolitical crisis in the Middle East has put our gas and fertiliser dependence into the spotlight once again. And while it may not be the defining crisis in agriculture today or tomorrow, plans for 2027 could be put into major jeopardy if fertiliser prices …

18 May

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, 'heroic', 'brave', 'inspiring'. Those are just some of the words used to describe Jordan and Cian Adams – the 'FTD Brothers' – both carrying the rare FTD gene, which sadly took their mother from them at the age of 52 in 2016. But today they're refusing to let dementia have the final word. They are running 33 marathons in 33 days, raising awareness and funds for their foundation and t…

30 Apr

2026

EN Speech

Women’s entrepreneurship in rural and island areas and outermost regions (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, in Cavan, Naomi Clarke has built a national clothes brand from a rural base. In Offaly, Anne Marie Feighery has turned farm produce into an award-winning agri-food company. In Westmeath, Una Leonard has grown a local patisserie into a huge success story. On Arranmore island, Muireann Kavanagh is fighting for the future of her fishing community. In Galway, Chloe Winte…

30 Apr

2026

EN Speech

How to secure a sustainable future for the EU livestock sector in light of the need to ensure food security, farmers’ resilience and the challenges posed by animal diseases? (debate)

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Madam President, as we heard yesterday, Europe is facing a EUR 27 billion energy surge. Family farms, quality affordable food, and rural communities are under real strain. The livestock sector, the focus of this debate, is bearing the brunt. It is one of agriculture's most exposed sectors, with much of its overheads tied to feed, fertiliser and other inputs. In Ireland's case, I welcome Minister H…

29 Apr

2026

EN Speech

The need for targeted criminal provisions and platforms’ responsibility to effectively address cyberbullying and online harassment (debate)

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Madam President, imagine a child too frightened to walk into their classroom. Too frightened to face someone abusing them online. Around 1 in 4 young people in Ireland experience this. And it goes beyond bullying. Last year, 1.2 million children across 11 countries reported being targeted by deepfake sexual abuse. These numbers are horrifying. And just this week, European police raised serious con…

28 Apr

2026

EN Speech

Interim report on the proposal for the multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034 (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, whether it has been ensuring food security, overseeing peace projects or investing in regional development, EU financing has stretched far in Ireland. For the majority of Ireland's 53 years in the European Community, we have been a net receiver and while that contribution cannot be easily captured in a single figure, its impact is clear: support to our farmers, fishers …

27 Apr

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Madam President, McDonald's, Domino's, Haribo, Oreo, Pepsi, Pringles. Who doesn't like a treat every now and then? But for children in Ireland, they see unhealthy food and drinks marketing roughly every four minutes online. Every four minutes, whether it's paid advertising on TikTok, influencer collaborations on Instagram or mukbang videos on YouTube. These ads for junk food capture a child's atte…

25 Mar

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Madam President, in Ireland, there are an estimated 9000 defibrillators, but only half are publicly registered. And across Europe, the story is much the same. Patchy records, fragmented data, incomplete mapping. Whether you're on a holiday in Spain or driving down the Wild Atlantic Way or sightseeing in Paris, it should be easy for you to find your nearest defib. So my question today is simple: we…

12 Mar

2026

EN Answer

Ban on the sale of nitrous oxide to the general public (debate)

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Thank you, colleague, I think you're 100 % right and I'm so glad that we have all of you here to talk to. I think it's so important. It's an issue that shouldn't have waited until nearly the last debate of the whole week, and I'm delighted to be here to actually raise our concerns, also with Commissioner here, who's going to be hopefully helping us to make it an EU‑wide issue as well.…

12 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Ban on the sale of nitrous oxide to the general public (debate)

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Mr President, since 2020, more than EUR 8.6 million worth of nitrous oxide – or laughing gas, as it's more commonly known – has been seized entering Ireland. Walk through any park or down any side street, even along our main roads, and you will see the evidence discarded: silver bullets and whippets littering the ground. This is not harmless fun. Across the EU, Member States are reporting rising p…

12 Mar

2026

EN Speech

Prevention and treatment of obesity (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, obesity in Europe has been described as an epidemic. In 2022, the WHO reported that obesity had reached alarming levels in Ireland following COVID‑19, with 57 % of adults and 8 % of children under five overweight or obese. Across the EU, over half of adults and nearly one in three children are now affected. Obesity is a disease shaped by many factors. It is not only …

9 Mar

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, in Ireland, fuel prices have passed EUR 2 per litre. Five hundred litres of home heating oil now costs over EUR 800. Across the Midlands–North-West, families and businesses are feeling the pressure. The European Commission must take immediate action to protect consumers. Firstly, the Commission must be ready to activate its crisis protocols. This includes joint purchasing of gas to b…

12 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Cooperation among enforcement authorities regarding unfair trading practices in the agri-food supply chain (debate)

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Madam President, today we are discussing strengthening the role of farmers in the food supply chain and unfair trading practices in Europe. This is the first ever directive to specifically improve the protection and status of farmers and primary producers. And it is to be welcomed. It is a particularly important step as we begin discussions on the common agricultural policy. But if we are trying t…

10 Feb

2026

EN Speech

Presentation of the action plan against cyberbullying (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, this week we mark Safer Internet Day to coincide with the new EU action plan against cyberbullying. But for many families across Ireland and the EU, the internet feels like a minefield: 1 in 6 of our teenagers has been cyberbullied; 1 in 8 admits to taking part in bullying. These numbers are staggering, but the game has changed. We are now seeing the rise of AI deepfake…

9 Feb

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, to paraphrase John Hume, a former Member of this House, the European Union has been an instrument of peace on the island of Ireland, for peace was not built overnight. Since 1995, EU support through PEACEPLUS has strengthened cross-border communities and stability, and the impact is clear: EUR 160 million for cross-border rail between Belfast and Dublin, EUR 20 million invested in th…

9 Feb

2026

EN Speech

World Cancer Day (debate)

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Mr President, Offaly man Pat Smullen was a nine-time champion flat jockey in Ireland and an extraordinary cancer care advocate. Pat sadly died in 2020 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018, but not before he eclipsed even his own phenomenal racing success by raising EUR 2.6 million for cancer research. Pat showed strength and courage throughout his illness, which transcended the spo…

21 Jan

2026

EN Speech

Presentation of the Digital Networks Act (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, more and more cars coming into Europe from China, the United States and elsewhere are being sold without FM radio. I first raised this last November with colleagues from the Committee on Transport and Tourism and I have since written to the Commission. I am raising it again today because car radios are not properly covered in the Digital Networks Act and that matters…

19 Jan

2026

EN Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Mr President, last week, I had the privilege of hosting Armita and Eabha, two TY students from Rathoath College, on work experience in my Brussels office. What they shared at me about nicotine pouches and how normalised they have become among young people their age, was deeply alarming. In 2024, an Irish study showed growing numbers of children and teenagers using nicotine pouches. Also, we have s…