Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27
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Gareth Scahill (FG), Nominated by the Taoiseach

The MEPs are all very welcome. Europe often speaks about balanced regional development. The Midlands-North-West constituency still faces major deficits in transport, connectivity and economic investment. Addressing those challenges requires every level of government to work together properly. This is why the relationship between our MEPs, the European Committee of the Regions and our regional assemblies is important. REGI exists to represent local authorities and regional voices in Europe. It gives councillors and regional assemblies a direct channel to EU policymakers and funding priorities. MEPs should work closely with these bodies to strengthen the voice of our local authorities, not try to replace them or do the work of councillors. I welcome Mr. Cowen's clarification about that earlier.
Councillors are elected to deal with local delivery and local priorities. The role of our MEPs should be to use their influence in Europe to secure investment, shape EU policy and build partnerships that help regions like ours to finally get the infrastructure we deserve. Beyond commentary and publicity, how are the MEPs using their positions in Europe to work with the European Committee of the Regions and our regional assemblies to deliver the infrastructure investment our wider region needs?
Across Europe at the moment, we are seeing a clear rise in populist politics. It is often driven by fear, frustration and division in our communities. At a time public trust in institutions is already fragile, misinformation and disinformation can spread quickly and have a real consequence.
What responsibility do the MEPs believe they have, politically and morally, to ensure accuracy in their own public statements and to challenge misinformation in a way that does not contribute to fear, hostility and division within our communities?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27