MEPS IN STRASBOURG have voted to approve Ursula von der Leyen’s second term as European Commission President along with a raft of new EU Commissioners, including former minister Michael McGrath.
Fine Gael’s Sean Kelly, Regina O’Doherty, Nina Carberry and Maria Walsh voted in favour, as did Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews, Barry Cowen, Billy Kelleher and Cynthia Ni Mhurchú.
Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion voted against, as did Independent MEP Luke Ming Flanagan and Labour’s Aodhán O’Ríordáin.
Ciaran Mullooly and Michael McNamara both abstained.
Fianna Fáil MEPs had previously announced that they would not support von der Leyen. They had previously criticised her for being “silent” on the genocide accusations facing Israel.
Speaking today, von der Leyen said there was “no time to waste” to boost the bloc’s defences and competitiveness.
“We must be as ambitious as the threats are serious,” von der Leyen said, adding:”Our freedom and sovereignty depend more than ever on our economic strength… Our security depends on our ability to compete, innovate and produce.”
The new EU executive has been in preparation since the 27-nation bloc held European elections in June.
In a statement today, McGrath, Ireland’s new EU Commissioner said he is looking forward to getting down to business quickly as he prepares to take over the Democracy, Justice, Rule of Law and Consumer Protection brief.
“It is an incredible honour to be the 12th Irish person to serve as EU Commissioner. I am conscious of the enormous responsibility that has been entrusted in me and the other incoming Commissioners to represent the interests of 450 million EU citizens.
“My own portfolio is very broad but at its heart is an overwhelming need to underpin our democratic structures across the European Union and ensure that the rule of law is upheld,” he said.
McGrath said he will not hesitate to use the tools at his disposal to ensure the rule of law is upheld, stating that he is also determined to make progress in the area of criminal justice, in particular to review how victims of crime are treated.
He added that he was pleased that President Von der Leyen today confirmed that “Consumer Protection” is being added to the title of his brief.
“In this regard, there are many areas that need to be addressed including e-commerce platforms flooding our European markets with thousands of unsafe products which can harm our citizens.
“We live in a digital age and while this undoubtedly brings many benefits to consumers, it also exposes considerable vulnerabilities. That is why I will be advancing a Digital Fairness Act which will address amongst other matters, addictive design of digital products, the role of social media influencers, dark patterns, unfair personalisation practices and the issue of digital subscriptions,” said McGrath.
With reporting from © Agence France-Presse
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