Following Ursula von der Leyen’s triumphant re-election as the President of the European Commission, numerous individuals came forward to offer their congratulations. Among these well-wishers was Fianna Fáil’s Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, one of 10 Irish members of the European Parliament, who despite opposing her in the vote expressed her appreciation for the German politician’s success. Ní Mhurchú also seized the opportunity to promote former finance minister Michael McGrath, Ireland’s prospective next EU commissioner. Ultimately, von der Leyen achieved a clear majority in the 720-member Parliament, ensuring her leadership of the EU for another half-decade.
The Parliament’s secondary chamber in Strasbourg, France, draws MEPs, EU officials, lobbyists and journalists on a monthly basis for voting sessions, reminiscing of adolescent trips to the Gaeltacht. The Parliament edifice, located just outside the city heart, serves as the primary locale between meetings and voting, causing everyone to be virtually on top of each other with little space to manoeuvre.
Some MEPs shared that they dodge the central cafe to avoid lobbying efforts to influence their views on policies. Towards the end of one such week, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, a Labour MEP, was spotted retreating to his office with a meal whilst engaging in a conversation about housing issues with a journalist from the Business Post.
Irish Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who were elected in the early June European elections have taken several trips to Brussels for discussions, with the first voting sessions taking place this week. The vote to approve or dismiss Ms von der Leyen from the president’s position at the commission was set to be the main topic of discussion.
She had the endorsement of a ruling coalition comprising of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), including Fine Gael, Renew’s centrists and liberals, and the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) who are centre-left. The Green faction’s support supplemented the numbers and compensated for the rebels from the central majority who voted against Ms von der Leyen.
Among the few to defy their peers and challenge the commission president were the Irish MEPs from the ruling political groupings. Fianna Fáil’s four MEPs, Barry Andrews, Barry Cowen, Billy Kelleher, and Ms Ní Mhurchú, are members of Renew, as are Michael McNamara and Ciaran Mullooly, whilst Ó Ríordáin is part of the S&D faction.
Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan, Kathleen Funchion, and the independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, are all members of the Left group and voted against a second von der Leyen term. The only Irish representatives to vote in her favour were the four Fine Gael MEPs – Nina Carberry, Regina Doherty, Seán Kelly, and Maria Walsh.
The primary cause for the Irish opposition was Ms von der Leyen’s comments at the start of the Israel-Gaza war, where she appeared to offer unreserved support to Israel in its response to the attacks by Hamas on October 7th.
Whether the Renew and S&D Irish MEPs’ defiance will be overlooked or used against them during legislative negotiations in the future remains uncertain. Those who were promoting the narrative of Fianna Fáil losing influence within Renew typically came from Fine Gael or the wider EPP. Centre grouping MEPs from France and Slovenia also hinted at their opposition to Ms von der Leyen.
Speculation circulated around parliament regarding Ms Ní Mhurchú requesting Ms von der Leyen to consider an apology for her Gaza misstep during a private discussion.
In support of Ms von der Leyen, only Nina Carberry, Regina Doherty, Seán Kelly, and Maria Walsh from the Fine Gael MEPs, Ireland, cast their votes. Ms Ní Mhurchú, during a private Q&A session for MEPs in the Renew group, asked Ms von der Leyen to consider apologising for her approach towards Gaza. Unfortunately, Ms von der Leyen did not reply to this request.
Regina Doherty from Fine Gael suggested that the opposition of the Commission president by four MEPs from Fianna Fáil might thwart the chances of Mr McGrath attaining a substantial EU commissioner portfolio. She praised Mr McGrath as a competent, savvy representative for Ireland, and lamented that he’s being hampered before he even begins.
The ex-Minister for Social Protection voiced her concern about the European Parliament’s extreme right and left personas. She expressed fear that political theatrics might overshadow serious issues and emphasised the importance of the centre working for everyone to prevent them from shifting to extreme political alternatives.
The ability to persuade fellow members from your political party to support or reject specific policies is crucial in parliament. For ten years, Ireland hadn’t had an MEP in the centre-left S&D, the second-largest group in parliament until the election of Mr Ó Ríordáin last month.
The recently elected MEP has been encouraging S&D to press the EU to concentrate more on housing policy, a sector it usually doesn’t delve into. He expressed that he repeatedly emphasised the issue of housing and proposed the creation of a housing commissioner.
In her address preceding the decision making vote, Ms von der Leyen stated her plans to establish a fresh commissioner portfolio, with responsibilities for housing, should she be re-elected. Proposal for Ireland and Mr McGrath to take on the brief was suggested by Mr Ó Ríordáin in the forthcoming allocation of commissioner roles. However, there’s a high tendency that the role would be fulfilled by an individual politically aligned with the centre-left.
The confirmation vote on Ms von der Leyen maintaining her position as commission president was undoubtedly the main topic of the dialogue.
Mr Mullooly, another newcomer to the MEP, soon sparked debates by voicing out his disappointment on the EU’s approval process of a law aimed at reversing the loss of biodiversity. The nature restoration law was initially passed by the former European Parliament in February, but was delayed for several months due to disagreements from a few member countries. It received formal ratification only last month, thus marking the end of a long and complex EU policy proposal journey before it became law.
Upon arrival in Brussels on his first day, Mr Mullooly uploaded a video online expressing his deep discontent on the fact that the newly formed parliament in June wasn’t given ample time to deliberate on the law’s implications.
Responding to criticisms for his lack of understanding of the EU’s policymaking operation, he stated this week that his earlier remarks had been “misconstrued”. He was unfazed by the criticism he received. He said: “Ultimately, having returned to my constituency, my comment was illuminated as defending farmers’ interests, and that’s indeed why I’m here”.