While some might know me best as the Rose of Tralee, I now have a strong political track-record from Europe to share.
The transition from Rose of Tralee to MEP was not the most traditional route into politics, but after five years of working in the European Parliament for the West of Ireland, I have a strong track record under my belt. Since my election in 2019, I have worked on European policy across the areas of agriculture, SMEs, healthcare and equality.
As a farmer myself, I have protected the incomes of young farmers, female farmers, and crucially, of our hard-working family farmers across Galway and the West by lobbying in the European Parliament for increased CAP funding.
Protecting Ireland’s economic competitive advantage on the European stage has been a core priority of mine, as has supporting female entrepreneurs. In 2021, women received just over 2% of total venture capital invested in European start-ups, but yet make up close to 40% of all European entrepreneurs. To right this wrong, I developed the concept of the Female Founders’ Fund, the first of its kind in the EU, to provide female business owners with much needed capital. As one of the Chief Negotiators on the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive, I have also delivered legislation which ensures that Irish women receive the same pay as their male colleagues.
On healthcare, I have campaigned day in and day out to put mental health on the European political agenda. Death by suicide is the second leading cause of death for our young people in the EU. To combat this crisis, I have worked closely with President Ursula Von der Leyen and the European Commission to ensure mental health is accounted for across European policy. Off the back of my work, I am confident that we will see the first ever EU Mental Health Strategy delivered in the next mandate and end this horrific loss of life.
Strong and serious politicians are needed on the European stage now more than ever. With the European elections coming up on June 7, we need to ensure that those we are electing to represent Ireland on the international stage do not only deliver for our country in Europe, but crucially act as a strong voice for the West of Ireland.
