Laois-Offaly TD responds to party decision to add two candidates to contest EU election

Laois-Offaly TD and European election candidate Barry Cowen has said he ‘accepts’ the decision by Fianna Fáil to add Senators Niall Blaney and Lisa Chambers as candidates to contest the Midlands North West constituency.

Deputy Cowen said “I was delighted to be selected by the FF members at our recent convention and will now lead out our team in the campaign. The team now has a candidate in Connacht, Ulster and Leinster in this vast constituency.

“My priorities will concentrate on the transition to sustainability in food, farming and agriculture and the transition to sustainability in energy. I want to ensure that the ongoing transition rewards participants rather than merely covering the costs involved in order to maintain and enhance the rural economies' contribution to our success. I’ll also champion a pan-European project that builds on the ambition associated with west coasts offshore wind potential.  This can deliver energy security for our region and country and also contribute up to €300 billion to our economy by 2050. 

"It is imperative that we protect our tax regime in Europe. Global tax rate provisions entered into by Europe must be reciprocal on the part of likes of China and USA. Failure to ensure this is a threat to the record jobs growth, export successes and revenue receipts which this country can ill afford. It is those revenues that determine our ability as a nation to respond to housing, health, education, infrastructure amongst other demands of government.

“Events over the last European Parliament term alone has proven that Europe matters. The manner in which Europe united and responded to Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war has proven this.

“Our candidates are united and committed to improving our regions' representation in Brussels. In Leinster, I’ll be seeking support for my candidacy and encouraging transfers for my colleagues as they will also in Connacht and Ulster. It is that strategy, that commitment that we hope the electorate will support and thus improve and enhance our regions and country’s return from Europe.

“We must remedy the failure of Fianna Fáil to secure an MEP in this constituency in 2014 and 2019 despite having had enough votes to do so. I hope now to ensure this strategy, geography and transfers secures that elusive representation and proves successful on voting day,” he concluded.