Speeches

Mr President, I welcome this report and its well-rounded assessment of what cohesion funds and policy actually stand for today. I compliment the rapporteurs. The report makes it clear, however, that stark disparities remain among the EU's regions, especially in rural areas. And in this context, I support the report's call for the need to address these disparities and simplify access to the funds, Commissioner: simplification. As a rapporteur of Parliament's own-initiative report on the just transition, I am glad to see the report calling for the continuation of that process and ensuring its reinforced financial means for the post-2027 period. However, I'm less happy with the announcement in the mid-term review of the cohesion policy of what seems to be the exclusion of my country, Ireland, from the one-year extension of the current year transition fund? I don't understand it. We must seek adequate flexibility in the capacity for Member States, such as Ireland, to have full access to the extended timeline to provide extra time to spend their allocations. As an MEP, I know how vital cohesion policy is for the regions. As we prepare for the next programming period, let's ensure cohesion policy remains properly funded, simplified and accessible to all the regions.

Madam President, Commissioner, if Liberation Day is what they're calling the events in Washington this week, then surely today, here in Strasbourg, we should say it's D-Day for our European Commission to get its act together in readiness for the challenges that are undoubtedly ahead. While Donald Trump talks of tariffs, we must talk about cohesion policy that will drive investment, reduce regional disparities and ensure that no region is left behind, especially in face of what will be tougher trading conditions. As we review our current programmes, there are fears ahead, Commissioner, that some projects risk being jettisoned for those more politically expedient in the short term, and even more concerns about reallocating funds to other priorities, such as defence spending. Commissioner, we cannot and will not stand idly by if this is proposed. We must not dilute our cohesion policy at any time, and especially when we are facing potentially crippling tariffs from the US. We need a robust, future-proofed cohesion policy, not just an investment. It's a commitment to European solidarity. Solidarity that is short in supply at the moment. We must safeguard a strong and well-funded cohesion policy well beyond 2027.

Madam President, the Gaeltacht areas of Ireland are not only geographical regions, they are part of the island's heritage. They're the heart beating of the Irish language. As the author of the book says: Language is the heart of our life. Unfortunately, a mix of bad planning or no planning at all, combined with Airbnb-style corporate acquisitions, have seen an influx of non-Irish speakers coming in, causing a dramatic shift in the linguistic balance. If planning continues to be granted without restrictions and there is no positive discrimination towards Irish speakers, there is a real risk now of losing the Irish language forever in locations like Galway, Kerry and Donegal. Commissioner, our new European Parliament Special Committee on Housing must look at this. We need positive planning policies that favour the natives, and we must ensure young people with fluent Irish are not priced out of their communities. The Irish language has survived through war, famine and numerous waves of immigration. For it to finally die due to planning laws would be a tragedy.

Madam President, motorists all over Europe are being driven to disillusionment over the lack of consistency in the price being charged for insurance premiums. The European Community was established as a single market where strength in numbers across over 20 Member States, was supposed to mean a more competitive market for insurance and cheaper premiums for the over 400 million people who live here. But this has not materialised in my country. The price of car insurance continues to rise every year, especially for young drivers, like Patrick O'Reilly from Cornafean in County Cavan: a 19-year-old boy who could insure his 2020 Volkswagen Golf for EUR 1 212 in Belgium, yet is asked to pay a staggering EUR 4 679 in Ireland. Commissioner, this is nothing short of a rip-off and no amount of prevarication over injury claims or legal costs can excuse it. We need our new Consumer Commissioner, Michael McGrath, to be brave and to seize on this issue, challenge the main players in Europe and make the single market work for European consumers.

Mr President, Commissioner, declining birth rates and an increasing proportion of elderly citizens in society is now the norm across the European Union. The figures are stark. The EU population is set to peak next year, as you know. We will lose around 30 million people within the next 75 years. As an MEP representing a mainly rural constituency, I'm aware of the major challenges out there. An incredible example for you today, Commissioner, is the village of Moygownagh in rural County Mayo and Ireland. Writing in the Western People, Liam Heffron highlighted the plight of the Irish town where, on the 24 June 2024, Mitchell's shop, the public house, the post office, the farm supply business and hardware store all failed to open. Moygownagh alone has lost a staggering 90% of its people since 1841, with the tipping point of sustainability now being passed. Like many parts of rural Ireland, North Mayo is being stripped of its population. This is why we must see the full implementation of the EU Demography Toolbox. Measures such as mentioning cohesion funds are important. The long‑term vision for rural areas must be fully implemented. We in the Committee on Regional Development (REGI) want to get the cohesion funds to do this job. Please help us, Commissioner, to solve the problem.

Mr President, the challenges facing the road haulage sector on island nations like Ireland, setting out from one of the most peripheral regions to do business in Europe, are patently unfair. Irish companies such as Beirne Express Freight in Mayo send their trailers from our island to mainland Europe, but face immediate restrictions upon arrival overseas under EU cabotage laws, while mainland operators encounter these regulations only after their first loading or unloading. This disparity costs tens of thousands of euros. Rigid driving time regulations penalise those who experience small delays, forcing them to miss ferries and wait for hours for the next one. Drivers should have the flexibility to complete their journeys without unnecessary penalties. President, how can we speak about a single market when so many of our service providers are hampered from operating within it? Remember what the Draghi report stated? How can we speak about competition in the EU when we impose all these administrative burdens? I call on the EU institutions to work towards undoing the unbalanced treatment of the road haulage sector, not just in Ireland, but in other island nations such as Malta and Cyprus.

Mr President, at one of the busiest times of the year for consumers, I believe it's essential to tell the Commissioner here tonight that euro notes and coins must remain a viable option to purchase goods and pay for services across the EU. A 2022 survey conducted by the European Central Bank found that 59 % of consumers use cash at the point of sale. In the same survey, 60 % of respondents expressed their preference for maintaining the option of both cash and cashless payments. In the meantime, while digital payments have gained ground, cash remains the most popular method of payment, and there are concerns that digital payment systems have become more susceptible now to cyberattacks from places like Russia and elsewhere. We have heard the Dutch central bank issue a stark warning to the public, urging them to ensure that they have cash on hand for essential transactions. My message tonight is very simple: we must call on the Commission to ensure that cash legally remains acceptable everywhere, even in places like Starbucks and Ryanair, who think they can be exceptions in this regard. As policymakers, we must ensure that citizens retain the freedom to choose their preferred method of payment. Mr President and Commissioner, cash is king, and long may it continue.

Thank you, Commissioner, and I fully accept what you have said about the purposes of the fund and the way they are being operated. And I suppose at the end of the day, the power and responsibility are of the Member States to identify the priorities. But I put one exception to you and one example to you before I sit down. On a personal front, you will know that many people affected in the Just Transition regions are perhaps heading towards retirement. They may be 40 years old, 50 years old, 60 years old. They feel they have been left behind by this fund. They said training was coming for younger staff, and the new industry you mentioned, the new green sector was coming, but for people who are over 50 years old, they say 'we were forgotten'. 'We have been left on the scrapheap'. We have our new Rust Belt in our country, like the Americans have had in the car sector, and this sector did not target us and our community in the way it might have done.

Commissioner, I would like to speak to you today to address the critical challenges, as you say, in the implementation of the cohesion policy. I have two questions for you, Commissioner. Firstly, congratulations on your period in office and the work you have done, and you acknowledge yourself the challenges that are there. And the challenge of the overly bureaucratic process is in my focus. I know the success of cohesion funding, but I also know what the regional authorities say to me about the complexities and the administration and the burden that places on them. So there is a clear need to ensure that administrations and beneficiaries can navigate the systems better. It's imperative we cut through the red tape when we can. Then, specifically, there is evidence why it is not working. We know in my own country of Ireland, the implementation rate currently sits at 5.4 %! Member States really have to refocus their attention on cohesion funding to ensure they can reduce these regional disparities. I'd like to know your view on how that can be done. Secondly, the Just Transition Fund – you mentioned it yourself briefly – is working, but not supporting the families directly who lost their jobs because of decarbonisation in many areas. I am asking if you would be in favour of a more targeted approach. So we look at the coal mine in Poland – we look at the specific area around the coal mine of 20 km. Or we look at the peat bog land in Ireland – we look at the specific area around that area, and try and target the families in that area so we can assist them in the future.

Mr President, colleagues, Ireland's fishing industry is in crisis. We have 12 % of Europe's richest waters yet, incredibly, we have some of the poorest fishermen and women, because we have less than 6 % of the quota. Year after year, our share declines while Nordic countries expand their fleets and their processing capacity, taking the lion's share. And next year, Ireland faces a further 22 % loss in its mackerel quota, worth EUR 18 million – not because of Irish overfishing, but because of non-EU nations like Norway and Iceland coming in here to overfish by up to 40 % annually. They are plundering our waters, President. In Killybegs, County Donegal, our largest fishing port, boats are at a standstill. Next year they will be lucky to fish for even 2 months in the year. Dylan Kyles, a third-generation fisherman, can only sit idly by on the mainland while watching vessels from elsewhere outside Europe fish freely in the waters every day. It's absurd, President, what's going on. It's allowing Norway to catch three times Ireland's blue whiting quota off our coast, while our boats remain tied up. We can't stand by, President. We must fight back. Fair play for the fishermen in the north-west and the south-west of Ireland – we will not give up until we have fair play!

Mr President, Commissioner, thank you. In the west of Ireland community of Newport, the people are upset and angry because the Irish Government and the European Union have failed to implement the regulations enshrined by law in the EU Water Framework Directive. This beautiful town looks out onto Clew Bay, where fishing for oysters and recreation has already been destroyed by millions of gallons of raw sewage pumped into the Atlantic Ocean by local municipal homes, not by farms. I went there, met Elaine McCaffrey and her neighbours and their children, and I spoke to them. They couldn't have believed that the promised treatment plant has still not been built, and that Irish Water and the Irish Government have ignored the wanton pollution that is going on here. In the words of local activist Chris Maxwell, marine life is being destroyed in front of their eyes every day. We need urgent action from the EU, the Irish Government and Irish Water. We need the Newport scheme to go ahead. We need to stop blaming farmers for all the problems. And finally, it would be remiss of me not to wish the very best – on a personal note – to Commissioner McGuinness tonight. A former colleague of mine, a former mentor on television: you have served your country and your continent and the Union very well. I wish you the very best in your future life, whether it be private or public. I wish you the best.

Mr President, as an MEP representing a largely rural constituency, I regularly see the vital role that our city plays within the region. For many, that journey to a greener, social and more sustainable future can often bring significant challenges. Cohesion funding is a lifeline for some of these communities, offering targeted support to address regional inequalities, and it must be increased if we are serious about fostering balanced regional development. I know where this is working well: the Cities at Heart network, a European programme, brings together 10 different local governments working to create tools for the improvement of city centres. I've been to such a growing municipal area: Sligo, which brings valuable best‑practice examples of how they've implemented innovative measures for property management, tourism policy and much more. Furthermore, Sligo has won the Purple Flag Award for their night-time economy. Public policy in Ireland is often centralised in Dublin. We must change this – we need a territorial approach. Europe depends on the success of all its regions. We must ensure both urban and rural communities have the resources they need to build a sustainable and a prosperous future.

Mr President, I welcome fellow Irishman Mr Tony Murphy and indeed the Court of Auditors' 2023 report. It's clear that while progress has been made, there is still significant room for improvement in how we spend our European Union funding. The report notes that during 2023, the Commission assessed the functioning of the management and control systems at the level of the Member States and concluded that they do not work adequately for 37 out of 278 operational programmes led by DG REGIO. This is a staggeringly high percentage of programmes, with an estimated error rate that has now gone up to 5.6 %, this is a serious problem, President. If a voluntary community group carried on in this manner, making mistakes, they would have their funding applications rejected, thrown out repeatedly. Remember, they also face many kilometres of red tape and administration with complexities. As we move forward, I urge the Parliament and the Commission to take the recommendations of the Court seriously. We need a sharper focus on value for money, ensuring that every euro delivers for our community and we need our Commission to listen, not deny.

Mr President, reports along the corridors of this building say a trade deal with the Mercosur countries has all but been agreed by our Commission, and talk of compensation for Irish farmers and others is widespread. But I come here this evening to give you one message, and a message back to those who send those briefs. No way! No way will we accept this. A study by the Irish Government Department of Enterprise in 2021 indicated that Ireland's beef sector would lose between EUR 44 million and EUR 55 million if the EU-Mercosur deal goes ahead. We are the fifth largest beef exporter in the world and the biggest EU exporter, with more than 90 % traded internationally on an annual basis. It is not acceptable that Ireland and key other European Member States incur high environmental food-safety traceability charges, while third countries just sail in here and are simply allowed to avoid such costs and undercut our beef in prime EU markets. This Parliament has and must insist on one rule for everyone equally applied to the Mercosur countries, and until this equality rule applies, Ireland says no deal and no sell-out!

Mr President, on this day, at this hour, I'd like to ask you to join with me in remembering those who have lost their lives through suicide. I'd also like to remember their relatives and friends who are gathering, perhaps now, at a church in your community or in my community, to say goodbye to a loved one. My appeal to you today, on World Mental Health Day, is for a greater emphasis to emerge in our EU legislation and in our home states on creating greater awareness of those at risk of suicide. Applied suicide intervention skills training is an important instrument to help us identify those who are at risk. ASIST, it stands for. Two days of your life; two days' training. On the first day, you will be helped to identify symptoms of people who are at risk. Have they given away personal belongings? Asked you to mind their dog, perhaps? Has it ever happened before? It could be a warning sign. The second day, an opportunity to assist you to put that person in a safe place. I ask you to support ASIST, take part in ASIST and help to save lives.

Madam President, never before has it been more important to protect the freedom of the press, at a time when disinformation is rampant. The time is now to call out fake news. And it is also time to stand up for independent journalism and journalism in the field. Tonight I speak to you about somebody who not only stood up for it, but lost their life in the field in independent journalism: Ryan Evans, from Wrexham, the son of an Irish woman, was working in Ukraine with Reuters news agency, when the hotel in which he was staying was hit by a Russian strike. He was 38 years old when he died, leaving his wife Kerry, and four children, his parents, Geraldine and Dave, and a wide circle of family and friends. Independent journalism beats fake news. Independent journalism in the field must continue. We must support public broadcasting. We must not forget what happened to Ryan. We must remember Ryan and his family, especially next Friday, when they say goodbye to him for the final time.

Mr President, in less than 18 months' time, farmers of Ireland will face a major decision and look to this city for crucial decision on the future of their industry. That would be whether or not they will continue to avail of the nitrates derogation. I've been asked to come to this House today to ask our MEPs to speak to their Member State ministers and their governments and impress upon them our case for retaining the nitrates derogation. Ireland has a unique ability to grow lush green grass, which has the largest impact on our environment. Grass is the most natural and environmentally friendly source of feedstuffs. In Ireland, we have adopted new methods to reduce the environmental impact, where we brought in a subsidised national liming programme, we have a low-emission slurry-spreading equipment system, there's been a reduction in crude protein in animal feed and, of course, environmental training and improving environmental farm biodiversity, with new hedgerows retaining native trees. We are doing our best, and based on the above, we're confident that the scientific evidence will clearly show that Ireland should – and must – retain our competitive advantage of growing grass with the retention of the nitrates derogation. As I say, it will be in this city. Our Council of Ministers and the Commission will decide this issue. I appeal to MEPs to bring the message back that Ireland has a very special case to retain its derogation.

Mr President, Commissioner McGuinness, colleagues, I believe this debate is about the future of farming in our continent. I believe it's about the future of young farmers and the future of people with small holdings. I speak to you today on behalf of 137 000 family farms in Ireland, in the most peripheral part of our region, half of them in my constituency in the Midlands and the west, and people who are looking to this report, this dialogue, with hope, so I will be positive today. We hope that things will emerge from this dialogue, that there will be a secure negotiation of funding for CAP, proper funding in the future, and with inflationary measures built in. We hope for assistance in a new environmental scheme to support those in farming. We hope for clear targets in this plan. If it is 100 days, let us see targets. Let us see targets met by the President and by the Commission. We would also like to see the the loss of red tape. We have been promised that red tape will disappear for smallholdings in particular, farmers who are threatened with continuous red tape and costs. And we would like to see the restoration of confidence in farming, not just in Ireland but around the world. We'd also like to see the protection of the beef sector, with particular focus on our Irish suckler herd, now threatened. We need to see urgent action. Ladies and gentlemen, we believe the success or failure of this plan will determine the future of many family farms, not just in Ireland, but throughout the European Union.