Search Results for 'Jim Higgins'

The five Fine Gael MEPs, including Mayo's Maria Walsh, welcomed a group of 28 students and accompanying teachers from across Ireland, including four students and two teachers from County Mayo, to the European Parliament, Brussels recently.

“One of the questions I get on the doorstep is ‘what’s Europe ever done for me?’ The answer is – a lot!” said MEP and European election candidate Jim Higgins. He went on to say this week that “as well as general achievements such as opening up our export and trading market, our membership of the EU has directly benefited Mayo in many, many, ways. One of my biggest priorities in Europe has been the reform and support of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and of this, Mayo has been a big recipient – receiving €22m of CAP single farm payments in 2013 alone. Of the 61,000 jobs created last year, approximately 25,000 were in agriculture. I’d be the first to say that agriculture is driving our economic recovery and that’s why I fought to safeguard the CAP budget. The new CAP will provide Irish farmers with €12.5 billion from 2014-2020, so that our agriculture sector has the support it needs to prosper.”

Fine Gael MEP for Mayo Jim Higgins has pledged his support for the introduction of a VAT exemption on mountain rescue equipment, which would significantly reduce the costs of mountain rescue teams in Mayo, as well as all over Europe.

Seeing the occasional poster of a local election candidate advertising public meetings on various issues of concern, Insider noted that, within a month’s time, towns, villages, and the countryside will be radically altered as the election poster blitz takes hold.

Nobody knew such an award existed but nonetheless, it was local MEP Jim Higgins who scooped the MEP of the Year award in Brussels on Tuesday night.

Nobody knew such an award existed but nonetheless, it was local MEP Jim Higgins who scooped the MEP of the Year award in Brussels on Tuesday night.

Jim Higgins MEP has been shortlisted for the MEP of the Year Transport award 2014. Organised by the Brussels-based Parliament Magazine, winners are chosen exclusively by fellow MEPs who vote on a shortlist of nominees.

Fine Gael’s Jim Higgins and Máiréad McGuinness will seek to retain their Brussels seats following selection as the party’s EU candidates for the Midlands-North-West constituency.

The European Commission is to examine the proposed Merlin Bus Corridor to see if it complies with the EU Habitats Directive, that is according to Midlands-North West MEP Jim Higgins who will be visiting the Merlin Woods site this coming Saturday.

Mayo based North-west MEP Jim Higgins this week met with EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn to discuss Ireland accessing funding from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to help with the clean-up following the recent storms. The cost of clean-up and restoration in Mayo alone has been projected to be at least €4.5 million by the local authority here. Speaking after his meeting with Commissioner Hahn, Higgins said: “If ever a country deserved solidarity funding, Ireland does. Commissioner Hahn controls the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF), a fund which I believe we can access to secure, badly needed, funding to build adequate flood defences and rebuild our destroyed infrastructure."