Summer 2013

Page 1

Mairead McGuinness MEP Vice-Chairman, EPP Group

HARD WORKING, STRAIGHT TALKING summer 2013

Major Changes In Euro Constituencies European Parliament elections take place on a date from 22-25th May 2014. Our current four European constituencies are set to change significantly with the number of Irish MEPs being reduced by one to 11. The seat reduction arises from the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty that sets the maximum number of MEPs at 751. Ireland is not the only Member State to lose out, others including Austria, Belgium and Germany will also be impacted. Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan TD, has published legislation providing for a Boundary Commission to revise the constituencies. There will be a period of public consultation in August and it is expected that the new constituency boundaries will be known by October 1st. The existing European constituencies are Dublin, East, North-West and South (see map). There is considerable speculation about the likely outcome of the review.

Accommodating 11 MEPs could see a reduction in the number of constituencies to three, with two four seat constituencies outside of Dublin and a boundary somewhere in the middle of the country; Dublin meanwhile would remain as a three seat constituency. Alternatively, the revision could see an enlarged Dublin region that would include counties around Dublin and it becoming a five seat constituency, with the remainder of the country divided into two three seat constituencies.

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North West 3 Seats

Of course, the constituency revision may end up with some entirely different configurations!

Dublin 3 Seats

East 3 Seats

Naturally I’m very keen to see what will happen in the review. It looks very likely that my constituency of Ireland East will be significantly impacted. Where will it end up – partly in the South, Dublin or the North-West?!

South 3 Seats

Mairead Tops Poll to Win Vice-Chair of the EPP group My new role as Vice-Chair of the largest political group in the European Parliament, the EPP, involves chairing the important Working Group on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, as well as being actively involved in all the work of the leadership of the Group. It was a great honour to be elected to the position. There was tough competition to serve on the Presidency of the Group and I was particularly pleased to be elected on the first

count by a significant majority of my colleagues from all EU Member States. The EPP Group has chosen Ireland as the location to launch its 2014 European Parliament Elections campaign in March next year. I look forward to welcoming my EPP colleagues to Ireland on this important occasion. They will be challenging but hopefully successful elections. It is hard to believe that by then I will have served 10 years in the European Parliament. Tempus fugit.

Contact Mairead

Brussels Office: Tel: +32 2 28 47214

@MaireadMcGMEP

mairead.mcguinness@ep.europa.eu www.maireadmcguinness.ie

Constituency Office: Mentrim, Drumconrath, Navan, Co. Meath Tel: 041 685 4633

Mairead McGuinness


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