Ireland’s two Green MEPs to stand again in 2024

MEPs Ciarán Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan will run again in the 2024 elections with a focus on social justice and improving the environment, the candidates told Euractiv on Monday.

Cuffe and O’Sullivan were elected to the Parliament for the first time in 2019 and have been involved in drafting energy, climate and environmental laws that aim to drive a transition towards a more sustainable Europe.

Cuffe, an architect by training, has taken the lead in negotiations with EU countries around new building standards, while O’Sullivan, an ecologist and former Greenpeace activist, is working on reducing packaging waste and restoring nature.

Speaking to Euractiv about running again, Cuffe said it was an honour to be chosen to represent his Dublin constituency again and put the focus on social justice, particularly around the ongoing housing crisis and increased food and energy bills.

“The Greens in Europe, as well as the Greens in government, are responding to these changes by delivering measures that can elevate people’s quality of life while protecting the most vulnerable in our society. My priority as lead negotiator on the new EU buildings law, the ‘EPBD’, is precisely that: delivering a retrofit strategy for Europe that prioritises and protects the most vulnerable,” he said.

“I know that our work is far from over and that there is so much more we can do to deliver a better quality of life to all Dubliners. That is why I have chosen to throw my hat in the ring again,” he added.

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan told Euractiv she was proud to have her party’s backing and added her focus would be on “tackling the mountains of useless plastic” Europe produces, “reversing the worst elements of ‘Fortress Europe’ refugee policy” and helping develop Ireland’s offshore renewable energy fleet.

The two lawmakers will run alongside Pauline O’Reilly, who has been chair of the Green Party since 2022 and a senator since 2020, in the European elections in June 2024.

(Kira Taylor | Euractiv.com)