Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27
============================================================

Maria Byrne (CC), Agricultural Panel

In my closing remarks, I sincerely thank Ms Nina Carberry, MEP, Mr. Barry Cowen, MEP, Mr. Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, MEP, Mr. Ciaran Mullooly, MEP and Ms Maria Walsh, MEP, for coming here today and for their contributions. We are five weeks away from the European Presidency on 1 July. It is important that we have this conversation. As Ireland's voice in the European Parliament, our MEPs play a vital role in shaping decisions that affect the everyday lives of Irish citizens. We are very grateful for the insight they have shared with us.
Today's discussion also highlights the practical impact of the European Union but also its deeper importance. The European Union stands for shared democratic values, respect for human dignity and the rule of law. It continues to be a cornerstone of peace, security and co-operation across the Continent at a time those principles are more important than ever. This engagement also underlines the importance of maintaining and strengthening the connection between this House and our representatives in the European Parliament. Today has helped to deepen our understanding of its relevance and the crucial role our MEPs play within it. The co-operation between Seanad Éireann and our MEPs is greatly valued. I hope we will continue to build on this relationship in the time ahead, in particular during the Presidency of the European Council. I thank all Senators for their contributions and participation. I again thank our MEPs for their time and their continued service to the people of Ireland. I wish them all the very best of luck for the future, especially as we go into the Presidency.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

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