GUE/NGL 10 key demands for new EU top-job holders

The 10 GUE/NGL priorities that the new presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament should commit to during their mandates

Sinn Féin’s EU team is back at work post election headed by MEPs Matt Carthy and Martina Anderson, while the GUE/NGL group of which they are members has signposted 10 demands for the new presidents of the EU Commission and Parliament.

Matt Carthy, MEP for the Midlands/North-West, has been highlighting the need for unity across the political spectrum on the Brexit issue. Carthy said: “There is no such thing as a good Brexit from an Irish point of view. The backstop is the least worst option in terms of protecting our economy and the political and social progress that we have seen since the Good Friday Agreement.”

Six-County MEP Martina Anderson has made the case that any EU financial package aimed to lessen the negative impact of Brexit must be delivered on an all-Ireland basis. Anderson said: 

“Now is the time for the EU to show how committed it is to protecting Ireland both north and south in the event of Brexit.

“There are reports that a multi-billion euro aid package is being prepared to mitigate the damage that Brexit will do to the Irish economy. It is vital that this funding protects the all-island economy.

“It is increasingly clear that Brexit will damage the economy north and south. The only way to protect the Irish economy is to protect all regions on the island and that means a continuation of EU funding for the north after Brexit.”

The GUE/NGL group have laid down clear policy markers for the coming parliament. In a statement the group said the EU “should work for our planet and for the many – not the few. It is time to end failing neoliberal policies and follow an ambitious roadmap in order to confront the climate emergency and tackle the rise of socio-economic inequalities within the EU”.

The 10 GUE/NGL priorities that the new presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament should commit to during their mandates are:

1. Take action to effectively tackle the climate emergency and restore biodiversity
2. End neoliberal austerity policies that increase inequalities and help boost far-right forces in Europe
3. Fight against social dumping in Europe
4. Put an end to tax dodging, tax evasion, money laundering and corruption
5. Take control of market decisions
6. Re-orientate EU trade policy
7. Adopt a humane migration and asylum policy that guarantees human rights
8. Defend peace
9. Fight for democracy and human rights
10. Take effective action to defend women´s rights and achieve gender equality