SF decide on EU parliament allegiance

national | eu | news report Tuesday July 13, 2004 18:11 by Cllr Eoin o' Broin - Sinn Féin eoinobroin at hotmail dot com

SF Join UEL/GRL

The following is a report from the UTV website on SFs allignment in the EU and our broad agenda.

UTV Website
TUESDAY 13/07/2004 15:22:59  
SF decide on EU parliament allegiance

Sinn Fein's MEPs are to work within the United European Left and Nordic Green Alliance group in the European Parliament, they confirmed today.

By:Press Association
 
As they prepared for their first visit to the Parliament as MEPs, Mary Lou McDonald and Bairbre de Brun said they would use their new platform to advance the peace process and push for European Union reform.

They said: "We enter the European Parliament as Sinn Fein MEPs mandated to deliver on our agenda for change and to deliver for Ireland. This means working effectively both inside the Parliament and in Ireland.

"In Europe we will work through the European United Left/Nordic Green Group (GUE/HGL) - this is a very effective and progressive group within the Parliament, which does not operate a whip system ensuring that for us, it is Sinn Féin`s and Ireland`s priorities, which will come first.

"We will also continue to engage with the widest possible range of MEPs and groups across Europe to advance our agenda for change on EU matters, the peace process and Irish unity and independence."

Sinn Fein`s decision to link up with the United European Left/Nordic Green Alliance comes as little surprise.

The party hosted a visit by the group to north and west Belfast in March.

However during the visit to Belfast, the group of 33 MEPs was accused of being Trotskyite by Democratic Unionist, Jim Allister.

The United European Left/Nordic Green Alliance has in the past drawn MEPs from the French, Portuguese and Italian Communist Parties, the Latvian and Dutch Socialists and the Greek Democratic Social Party.

Sinn Fein performed strongly in last month`s European Election on both sides of the border and also in the local government elections in the Irish Republic.

Mary Lou McDonald captured the party`s first ever European seat, at the expense of Patricia McKenna of the Greens in Dublin.

North West candidate Pearse Doherty also came close to taking a seat, dramatically increasing the party`s vote.

In Northern Ireland, former Stormont Health Minister Bairbre de Brun won the party`s first ever European Parliament seat at the expense of the rival nationalist SDLP.

Ms McDonald and Miss de Brun said employment and industry, agriculture and rural regeneration, human rights and equality would be their priority areas in terms of European Parliament committees.

The MEPs also vowed to continue the party`s outreach work with local communities, women`s groups, trade unions, voluntary organisations, business sector, farming organisations and justice groups on both sides of the border.

"We want to demystify the role of MEPs and to develop mechanisms whereby that position can be used as a conduit to empower local communities," they said.

Miss de Brun and Ms McDonald said they wanted a European Union which respected the democratic rights of each member state, promoted equality among people and nations and worked for the just and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

The MEPs also vowed to:
:: Push for Irish unity and independence.
:: Promote an all Ireland approach to economic and social issues with the active assistance of the EU.
:: Work for a reformed EU that gives power back to the people.
:: Campaign for Irish neutrality and a demilitarised Europe.
:: Work to revitalise Irish agriculture and rural communities on an all Ireland basis.
:: Seek new priorities for EU policy including the elimination of poverty and support for public services.
:: Campaign for the Irish language to be recognised as an official and working language in the EU.