Proinsias De Rossa (Labour Party)

candidate EU elections
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Dear ,

Many thanks for your question. I was a member of the Government which abolished third level fees and the Labour Party is opposed to their reintroduction - see Ruairi Quinn TD´s statement setting out our position, which is available at www.labour.ie

Education is a matter that comes under the exclusive responsibility of the Irish Government so the campaign to oppose fees will have to be waged in Ireland in the first instance. The EU´s role is to promote cooperation between national educational systems, to encourage student mobility (e.g. the Erasmus scheme) and to help Member States´ educational systems to ´learn from each other´. In the European Parliament I have also pressed the European Commission to ensure that students receive all grants they would be entitled to as EU citizens if they are studying in other Member States. If returned to the EP, I will continue to work on these issues.

Best wishes,

Proinsias

Dear Jim,

Thank you for your question. Free movement is a fundamental principle of
the EU and one that is has been of enormous benefit to the Irish people
and Ireland. I very much support it.

With regard to workers from future accession states (i.e. new Member
States), there are provisions under EU law allowing Member States to
negotiate temporary derogations from this principle. Ireland availed of
this provisions in relation to workers from Bulgaria and Romania in
2007. I think these provisions should be looked at on a case-by-case
basis, with regard to the circumstances at the time.

Best wishes,

Proinsias

Dear ,

Thank you for your message. Prior to the final adoption of the EU´s 7th Research and Development Framework (2007-13) in 2006, I received correspondence from Irish interests arguing for the inclusion of marine research and in our November 2006 vote on establishing a ´Framework for Community Action in the field of Marine Environmental Policy´, MEPs did insert the following amendments:

23) Account should also be taken of biodiversity and the potential for marine research associated with deep-water environments off the outermost regions and support should be given, under specific programmes, for the drawing-up of scientific studies with a view to the improved characterisation of deep-water ecosystems.

25 ) Since the programmes of measures executed under Marine Strategies will be effective and as cost-effective as possible only if they are devised on the basis of a sound scientific knowledge of the state of the marine environment in a particular area and tailored as closely as possible to the needs of the waters concerned in the case of each Member State and within the general perspective of the Marine Region concerned, it is necessary to provide for the preparation at national level of an appropriate framework, including marine research and monitoring operations, for informed policy-making.

(29) Support for research into the marine environment should be enshrined in the Seventh Framework Programme on research and development (2007-2013).

I think the extent to which these provisions are acted upon in Ireland is a matter primarily for the Irish research community and policy-makers but if re-elected to the EP on 5 June, I will afterwards ask the Commission about the extent to which EU R&D; funds have been allocated for marine research in Ireland and about forthcoming calls for proposals in this area which may be of interest.

Best wishes,

Proinsias

Dear ,

Thanks for coming back. Within the specific provisions of the Common Security and Defence Policy, Member States shall make civilian and military capabilities available to the EU and shall undertake progressively to improve their military capabilities. The need to do this is quite obvious in the light of the difficulties encountered in deploying EU missions, such as the Chad mission to defend 500,000 refugees, due to a lack of vital equipment.

The European Defence Agency has the task of "supporting the Council and the Member States in their efforts to improve the EU´s defence capabilities in the field of crisis management...." There is no provision for deciding what individual member States spend.

Certainly there is no provision for the EDA to spend all our taxpayers money.

The EDA´s tasks include ´developing´, identifying´, ´coordinating´, ´appraising´ - all under the authority of the Council of Ministers. High Representative Javier Solana has made it clear that the EDA does not have "a supranational military equipment or capability plan which aims to replace national defence plans and programmes. It should support, not replace, national decision-making."

It would seem obvious that, insofar as this country plays a part in EU/UN crisis management operations, it should seek to improve its capabilities. The decision on how to achieve improvement is for the Irish Government and the Oireachtas.

To hold the view that we should not have military forces is, of course, an honourable stance but if we maintain forces then I do not think it is a tenable position to deny them the equipment and training needed to carry out the tasks asked of them and to protect themselves.

Regards,

Proinsias

Dear ,

Thanks for your question. On 12 March, the European Parliament adopted an emergency resolution on the then detoriating humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka. A more detailed resolution on the situation there had been adopted on 5 February last. I supported both of these resolutions.

I fully support the calls for an independent inquiry into violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the conflict. I have no doubt that this issue will be on the EU´s agenda over the coming weeks and I will take up your suggestions in my contributions in these debates. I would also point out that the Labour Party´s European manifesto, available at www.derossa.com and www.labour.ie. includes the following commitment - ´We will work to ensure that all EU trade agreements include appropriate, enforceable human, environmental and social rights clauses...´ (p.21),

Best wishes,

Proinsias De Rossa MEP Dear ,

Thanks for your question. On 12 March, the European Parliament adopted
an emergency resolution on the then detoriating humanitarian situation
in Sri Lanka. A more detailed resolution on the situation there had been
adopted on 5 February last. I supported both of these resolutions.

I fully support the calls for an independent inquiry into violations of
international humanitarian and human rights laws in the conflict. I have
no doubt that this issue will be on the EU´s agenda over the coming
weeks and I will take up your suggestions in my contributions in these
debates. I would also point out that the Labour Party´s European
manifesto, available at www.derossa.com and www.labour.ie. includes the
following commitment - ´We will work to ensure that all EU trade
agreements include appropriate, enforceable human, environmental and
social rights clauses...´ (p.21),

Best wishes,

Proinsias De Rossa MEP