Its been a busy two days so far during this plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Following the re-election of Martin Schulz (DE, S&D) as President of the European Parliament the focus turned to the election of the 14 Vice Presidents of the Parliament.
The Vice Presidents make up the Bureau of the Parliament, along with the President and Quaestors of the Parliament. They also chair sessions of the Parliament when the President is not present.
Of the 14 Elected Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness (EPP, FG) was elected on the first count along with five of her colleagues from the European People’s Party. McGuinness actually had the 2nd highest number of votes with 441 votes only being beaten by her Italian EPP Colleague Antonia Tajani (452 votes).
Tomorrow the focus turns to the committees where much of the work of MEPs take place and much horse trading and bartering goes on. The size of the committees where set yesterday for the 20 committees and Irish MEPs will sit on 9 of those. The committee with the highest number of Irish MEPs is of course agriculture with three MEPs on it followed by Environment committee on which two Irish MEPs will sit.
- Budgets (BUDG): Liadh Ni Riada (GUE/NGL, SF)
- Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON): Brian Hayes (EPP, FG)
- Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL): Marian Harkin (ALDE, IND)
- Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI): Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL, SF), Nessa Childers (S&D, IND)
- Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE): Sean Kelly (EPP, FG)
- Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO): Brian Crowley (ECR, IND/FF)
- Transport and Tourism (TRAN): Deirdre Clune (EPP, FG)
- Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI): Mairead McGuinness (EPP, FG), Matt Carthy (GUE/NGL, SF), Luke “Ming” Flanagan (GUE/NGL, IND)
- Fisheries (PECH): Liadh Ni Riada (GUE/NGL, SF).
No Irish MEPs sit on Foreign Affairs, Development, International Trade, Budgetary Control, Regional Development, Culture and Education, Legal Affairs, Civil Liberties Justice and Home Affairs, Constitutional Affairs, Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, or Petitions. How ever they may be appointed as supplementary members of those committees at a later point.
For reference here is the list of which Committees Irish MEPs were members of in the last parliament.
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- Fine Gael and Sinn Fein to take seat on ECON committee in Europe (irishtimes.com)
- ‘Ode to Joy’ as old hands show newbies Europe’s parliamentary ropes (irishtimes.com)
- Martin Schulz Re-elected as European Parliament President (novinite.com)