I am pushing for real EU action, together with Grace O’Sullivan MEP,  to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.  

These actions should include suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, banning arms exports to Israel and the import of Israeli settlement goods, and sanctions against violent West Bank settlers. I will not support the reappointment of Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission President.  

I believe the Irish government and more EU countries should recognise the State of Palestine as soon as possible, and I support the Government’s intervention in South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel. The Occupied Territories Bill, which would ban the sale of Israeli settlement goods in Ireland, must also be enacted.

Improving road safety is a top priority for me as the leading Green MEP on the Parliament’s transport committee. Some of the issues I have been working hard on are: 

Improving working conditions for professional drivers

Keeping dangerous megatrucks out of Ireland

Limiting the relentless growth in the weight and size of SUVs

More funding for safer roads, including segregated cycle lanes

Ending impunity for people who break traffic laws

The EU’s first every cycling strategy

I am pushing for the creation of an EU road safety agency to oversee all these issues.  

Greening transport is another key focus of my work on the transport committee. For example, I have negotiated a new EU law called ReFuelEU Aviation, which will make flying more sustainable with new greener types of jet fuel. This new law is particularly good news for Ireland: we are well-placed to take the lead on manufacturing these fuels with clean electricity from offshore wind farms.

 Around half of my travel in my time as an MEP has been by train and ferry. This is known as SailRailing, and it’s an eco-friendly and increasingly popular way of travelling to the UK and Europe from Ireland.  

I want to make SailRail much easier, cheaper, and more reliable for travellers. There is a lot to be done, and I am working on securing funding for vital improvements and improving connectivity, especially for foot passengers. Watch my SailRail documentary on Youtube and read my SailRail Manifesto to find out more.

Europe is in a housing crisis: right across the continent, people are facing increasingly unaffordable rents, eye-watering house prices, and rising energy bills caused by bad quality housing. This crisis is particularly acute in cities like Dublin. 

We are often told that Europe has no powers over housing, but that simply isn’t true. The EU is playing a role in our housing markets, so it is vitally important that we ensure this role is a positive one. I have been working hard with my Green colleagues over the last five years to improve the EU response to this crisis, but the proposals we have received so far simply do not go far enough. 

That’s why we have put together a European Housing Crisis response plan that addresses five priority areas: more affordable and social housing; boosting renovation and construction; ending homelessness by2030; stricter oversight of short-term rentals; and tackling housing speculation. 

I am also calling for a European Housing Fund to help address the €57 billion annual investment gap in social and affordable housing. With new EU renovation targets coming down the line, the Housing Fund should also prioritise and support renovations for the people who can't afford their energy bills, who stand to benefit the most from these works.

The climate and biodiversity crises are defining issues of our time. Melting glaciers, wild-fires and animal extinctions demand action. Green-house gas emissions from human activities are raising the temperature of the planet and contributing to extreme weather events and loss of species. In the European Parliament we have approved a European Climate Law and other measures known as the ‘Fit for 55’ package. These laws aim to reduce the EU’s emissions by 55% from 1990-2030.

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You can play your part by flying less; walking or cycling when you can, eating less meat and buying less stuff. You might also join an organisation like An Taisce, Friends of the Earth or the Green Party to lobby for more action. This November world leaders meet in Glasgow at the annual climate conference COP26. I’ll be there too, campaigning for more action on climate.

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Ireland has huge potential to become a renewable energy powerhouse and a leading player in the EU’s transition away from harmful fossil fuels. I am supporting measures to make this future a reality as one of two Irish MEPs on the European Parliament’s energy committee or the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). 

I worked on updates to the Renewable Energy Directive and the development of the EU Offshore Renewables Strategy, and I have been leading the charge in Parliament for the EU to provide greater investment in our electricity grids with the hope of finalising the EU Supergrid that will be needed to ensure our transition towards renewables.

 I am also focused on boosting building renovations and energy efficiency as a member of this committee. Retrofitting more homes and buildings is the best way to protect people from future energy price spikes. The people who will benefit most from these works are those struggling to afford their energy bills.  

In 2022, I was appointed as Parliament’s lead negotiator on a new EU greener buildings law known as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive or EPBD. As lead negotiator, I struck an agreement that will deliver savings on bills, help people on lower incomes to retrofit, and provide more local, expert advice tailored to people’s needs.

 Taking action on buildings is important not only to protect people from high bills, but also to bring down emissions. Buildings consume a whopping 40% of Europe’s energy, and produce 36% of our emissions. Meanwhile, seven out of 10 buildings are energy inefficient. So, instead of heating our homes, we are heating the planet.  

I am confident that the law I negotiated will lead to savings for Dublin households, while bringing down emissions.