Tag Archives: MEP

Friday, June 7, has been chosen as the day for the upcoming European and local elections. Tens of thousands of Clare people will cast their votes on that day to choose who will sit on Clare County Council and represent Ireland South in the European Parliament. The Minister for Local Government, Darragh O’Brien (FF) today made the order appointing Friday, 7 June 2024 as the polling day and 7am to 10pm to be the hours of polling at the European Parliament and local elections. The Minister has appointed Barry Ryan, a Principal Officer in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to be the chief returning officer for the European Parliament elections. He has also appointed returning officers for the three European Parliament constituencies in which 14 MEPs are to be elected for the 2024-2029 parliamentary term. Martin Harvey, Cork City Sheriff, will be returning officer for the five seat South constituency. The returning officers for the three European …

Everybody must play their part in ensuring the internet is a safe place to go. “On Safer Internet Day the focus is on ‘Together for a better internet’ and I believe we need to make sure we are all working towards a safer online world. It could be parents protecting their children, companies protecting their employees or users themselves making sure that they are safe online,” commented Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune this week. “Figures show that almost 80% of children aged between eight and 10 own a smart device with access to the internet and 40% of eight are speaking to strangers online. These figures show what a major role the internet is playing in the lives of young people and we must do all we can to ensure they are kept safe.” The first Safer Internet Day was held in 2004 and is recognised in around 140 countries around the world. Meanwhile, four more IT companies decided to …

Seán Kelly MEP, is hosting a visit by a European Parliament delegation to the Mid-West this week. MEPs will meet company representatives from Shannon LNG and Shannon Foynes Port tomorrow (Thursday). The MEPs belonging to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy are on a fact-finding mission to learn about the local innovations and research in the area of technology and energy. Speaking ahead of the high-profile visit, Mr Kelly, the leader of the Fine Gael delegation in the European Parliament, said: “I look forward to welcoming the group of cross-party MEPs from all various member states, where we will enjoy a busy agenda meeting and learning from technology and energy experts locally. “After meeting with local business and technology experts and university researchers and students, we will hold a briefing with Shannon LNG and Shannon Foynes Port Company representatives. “The European Commission recently cited Shannon LNG as a strategic gas source for Europe, as we work towards a more secure …

Ireland South MEP, Seán Kelly, has been appointed as lead negotiator and spokesman on European energy consumer issues on behalf of the European People’s Party. The talks underway in Brussels, aim to deliver a new deal for energy consumers and seek to increase the transparency of prices and better empower consumers to lower their energy bills, according to the leader of Fine Gael in the parliament. Mr Kelly, Ireland’s only full member of the Parliament’s Committee on Industry Research and Energy (ITRE), spoke of the work as being a “massive opportunity” to ease the burden on already stretched household budgets. “Years of austerity have been tough on Irish families. Even though our economy is now growing rapidly, the majority of households are yet to feel the benefit – it has not yet made its way into Irish homes. One way we can spread economic growth around the country is by putting money back in people’s pockets. “Taking measures to lower …

County Clare stands to benefit from an amendment to a tourism report passing through the European Parliaments Transport and Tourism committee today (Tuesday), which calls on EU member states to provide free Wi-Fi in tourist towns and areas. Supporting the initiative, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune commented, “Dublin and Cork already provide free Wi-Fi in parts of the cities and I don’t see any reason as to why we should not be rolling this out to more tourist towns and cities. Tech-savvy tourists would appreciate a way of checking emails, booking attractions, managing their flight bookings, posting pictures and keeping in contact with loved ones back home. In an increasingly competitive global tourist market, Ireland needs to ensure it is leading the way with its tourism offering. “What better advertising can we get than having tourists posting pictures and reviews of our towns on their social media sites? They are posting where they are and talking about their experience, free …

THE title of  MEP of the Year for the Digital Agenda has been awarded to Sean Kelly. The awards, presented in Brussels on Tuesday night, recognise the work of MEPs in a series of categories and winners are decided on a vote by their peers. “I am honoured to win this award.  I wish to dedicate it to the excellent work done by Coder Dojo and all of the work of the European Parliament in furthering the digital agenda. Our present and our future is digital.  We need to foster an environment in the EU where the digital economy can generate jobs and growth and the European Parliament has a key role to play in this,” said Mr Kelly. Mr Kelly spoke of how cyber-bullying is a worrying trend associated with so much of our lives moving online. “I have held a series of forums across Ireland and in the European Parliament to gather together young people, teachers, community leaders and …

CLARE  is ideally placed to succeed in an entry for the European Entrepreneurial Region Award according to MEP Sean Kelly, who has raised the matter in the European Parliament.  High profile tourism attractions such as the Burren and Cliffs of Moher could gain benefit from such an award, he noted. Speaking in the Parliament, the Fine Gael MEP said Clare would be a worthy recipient of the award which is designed to recognise regions that facilitate entrepreneurialism through forward thinking and sustainable governance. “Kerry is the county I come from and it received the European Entrepreneurial Region Award in 2011. Clare is another county, which could benefit hugely from such an award. Clare is home to some of the finest tourist attractions in the world – the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren. And, of course, there is Shannon Airport and the aerospace sector, which have the potential to generate jobs,” he said. Mr Kelly said the new EU COSME programme could …