THE 14 NEWLY-ELECTED Irish MEPs are in Strasbourg, France this week for the first official sitting of the new European Parliament.
These sessions, known as Plenary, give MEPs the opportunity to debate and vote on the biggest decisions for the European Parliament of the month. Normally, the MEPs will arrive to the Parliament with their talking points on the latest legislation written up.
As this is the first official sitting, the agenda for this week includes procedural votes, which will not only determine the direction of the new Parliament, but could also indicate how influential the new Irish MEPs might be over the next five years.
Today, MEPs will be electing a President for the Parliament, who will act as a chairperson for the first two-and-a-half years of the term, and the Vice Presidents.
This mini group will determine whether or not the correct procedure is being followed during debates and voting.
Many European leaders are seeking stability in these appointments, as the EU continues attempting to cement itself as a major global-power broker.
Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola has been serving as the President for the last two-a-half years.
It seems likely that Metsola will be re-elected as the President. She was at the coalface of major events which impacted the EU over the last two years, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the decision to increase interest rates to curb inflation.
Speaking on The Candidate podcast shortly after the election, Theresa Reidy, a political scientist at University College Cork, and Barry Colfer, director of research at the Institute of International and European Affairs, both agreed that Ireland’s re-elected MEPs were in a good position to be influential in this term.
But The Journal understands that no Irish MEP is up for a nomination as a Vice-President for the Parliament – a well regarded role that can hold a lot of influence over the outcome of committee discussions.
It is understood that Fine Gael proposed Seán Kelly as the European People’s Party (EPP) candidate for Vice President, but the delegation were outvoted as a result of other parties within the group having stronger numbers compared to the four Irish members.
On Thursday, MEPs will vote to accept or reject Ursula von der Leyen’s bid to become President of the European Commission again.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin told reporters in Luxembourg in June that there had been a high-level deal agreed between the three major European political groupings: Fianna Fáil’s centrist Renew, Fine Gael’s centre-right EPP and Labour’s left-wing Socialist & Democrats (S&D).
This will see many MEPs in these groups voting in favour of the German politician’s second term.
However, the margins are very slim.
For Von der Leyen to be successful, she must secure 361 votes.
On paper, the high-level deal means she is expected to get well beyond what is needed (with 401 votes) but Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, a member of S&D, has already ruled out voting for her.
If just 10% of MEPs in the three coalition groups go rogue during the secret ballot, Von der Leyen will not be successful in securing a second term and EU leaders will have to wait a month until it can propose another person to take up the role.
Fine Gael’s MEPs are the only group of Irish politicians in the European Parliament who have openly backed Von der Leyen.
In contrast, Fianna Fáil have been very critical of von der Leyen over her handling of the conflict in Gaza and disagree with her stances on defence policy and the EU.
Dublin’s Barry Andrews this weekend and, now, Ireland South’s Billy Kelleher this morning said that they will not be voting in favour of von der Leyen, with Kelleher citing his disagreements with her actions since 7 October.
It is understood that the other two other Fianna Fáil MEPs Barry Cowen and Cynthia Ní Murchú will also not support the incumbent. This is despite attempts from within Fianna Fáil to change their minds.
One source told The Journal that the Fianna Fáil MEPs’ decision could cast a shadow over their relationships with other politicians in the Renew group for the next five years.
It will also have a likely impact on how much the party’s proposed European Commissioner Michael McGrath will be scrutinised by MEPs in Brussels, according to the source.
Renew’s new Irish members, Independent Michael McNamara and Independent Ireland Ciaran Mullooly, also campaigned on their opposition to Von Der Leyen.
McNamara has yet to make his voting intentions known, and did not give any mention of his stance during his final statements to the Dáil last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Mullooly told RTÉ News this month that he is “keeping an open mind” about his decision as he wants to hear what the nominated President will do to stop the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Outgoing Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas told Politico last week that “there is no plan B”, when asked what would happen if Von der Leyen is rejected. The Greek official said that he didn’t even want to think about it, adding: “Nobody does.”
Von der Leyen has been meeting, in private sessions, with each group to listen to their potential grievances ahead of time in order to gain as much trust – and also as many votes – as possible before the vote on Thursday.
There was much more support among the EU leaders to back Von der Leyen for a second term than when she was first nominated in 2019.
However, while the Prime Ministers of Europe might be pleased with her performance, the MEPs – who represent the people of Europe – will have to choose whether they reflect what they believe their constituents think.
On Wednesday, MEPs will agree to the makeup of committees – which is normally proportional to the European Parliament itself and reflects the outcome of the election results.
Most of the legislation that is adopted by the EU is decided, debted and bartered over during the committee stage. These meetings take place in Brussels, in Belgium, and are where MEPs earn their stripes as European lawmakers.
It is believed that Fianna Fáil’s Kelleher and Andrews, and Fine Gael’s Maria Walsh and Seán Kelly, will be best-placed to have their pick of committee appointments.
Other MEPs, such as the Labour Party’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, have already been told that their place on their desired committee is solidified. This trend could continue after the number of seats are agreed by the Parliament.
On Wednesday morning, MEPs will also debate and conduct a ceremonial vote to continue EU support for Ukraine as the country continues to battle Russian forces.
Each group leader is expected to make a statement on EU’s response to the war in Ukraine afterwards.
While the S&D, Renew and the EPP have, to this point, been very pro-Ukraine, others in the European Parliament do not share the same values.
The Left Group, which Sinn Féin and Independent Luke Ming Flanagan are members of, have spoken out many times since the invasion of Ukraine to denounce the EU – which began to keep the peace in Europe – funding of arms to Ukraine.
The group argues that the EU is not doing enough to bring an end to the conflict and that there should be more scrutiny over the Parliament’s spending on the war.
Similarly, the new, far-right Patriots of Europe group – started by Hungarian Prime Minister and Russia’s closest ally in the bloc Viktor Orbán – are in favour of both sides negotiating terms to end the war.
That stance has not been welcomed by EU leaders or MEPs, and the groups have continued to denounce Orbán’s behaviour over the war in Ukraine – particularly as his rejection of monetary aid to the war-torn country is a direct result of the EU suspending funding to his State over allegations of misspending.
It is highly expected that the European Parliament will continue to support Ukraine.
Muiris O’Cearbhaill will be in Strasbourg, France reporting on the first Plenary session of this European Parliament this week. Keep up to date on the latest on The Journal.
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