Blog Archive
Over 66s free travel pass should be extended Europe-Wide
Posted on April 07, 2010 by Andy White
The EU should provide free public transport to all senior citizens, by extending the successful Irish model to all 27 EU member states, Nessa Childers MEP has told the EU Transport Commissioner today.
"I proposed today to the new Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas the extension of free public transport for older people across the EU. Regardless of what country they come from, are living in or are even visiting, older people across Europe should have those same basic set of transport entitlements as their Irish counterparts. What better place to start than an EU-wide bus & train pass?
“This would also have the added benefit of providing older people from Ireland with the opportunity to travel extensively and inexpensively throughout Europe, something they may not have had the option to do when working full-time and rearing their families.
The Labour MEP added, “I believe there is also an argument to be made for the extension of the scheme to those in receipt of the European equivalent of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Carer’s Allowance and Invalidity Pension as is the case in Ireland.
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Inclusion of possible 30% climate target in EU work programme welcome
Posted on March 31, 2010 by Andy White
Speaking today in Dublin today on publication on the European Commission's legislative work programme for 2010 Nessa Childers said: "I welcome the new Commission's inclusion of a possible binding proposal for Europe to move unilaterally from a 20% emissions cut target to 30%.
“The programme is intended to fulfill the recently agreed Europe 2020 strategy and this shows the positive influence of new Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard.
"However, EU leaders must push for significant improvements of the Europe 2020 Strategy if it is to really lead towards a truly sustainable and successful economy. It is simply not ambitious enough as regards emissions targets, biodiversity and green jobs.
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Poisoning of red kites a worrying setback for Wicklow reintroduction project
Posted on March 29, 2010 by Andy White
Nessa Childers MEP has described the death of two red kites in Wicklow as a result of poisoning as a “worrying setback” to efforts already underway to reintroduce the birds of prey to the Garden County after an absence of over 200 years.
She said, “The red kite was once a familiar native presence in the Irish landscape. As a result of woodland clearances, poisoning and general persecution in the 18th century these beautiful birds became extinct.
“Thanks to the support of the Welsh Kite Trust, a project to reintroduce them to Ireland commenced in Wicklow in 2007. The programme to date has been extremely successful but the death of these two red kites is undoubtedly a setback to the ambitious re-introduction programme.
“The restoration of the red kite to Ireland is important in terms of increasing our biodiversity. The birds represent no threat whatsoever to livestock as they tend to prey only on small mammals such as rabbits.
“The birds are a significant addition in terms of the attraction of tourists to Wicklow. I would hope to see the Wicklow community continue to give their full support to the project and as the population hopefully flourishes, we should look to the example of Gateshead in England’s North-East where their Red Kite Trail has become an important feature of the area’s tourism product.
“Ireland has one of the lowest populations of birds of prey in Europe. While today’s sad news is a setback, I know that the Red Kite Project will grow and that the efforts of all involved in the programme will be rewarded as Ireland once again becomes home to these magnificent birds.”
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Come clean on delays in EU funding for SRT workers, Childers tells government
Posted on March 24, 2010 by Andy White
Nessa Childers MEP has told the European Parliament that a “dysfunctional, tired and out-of-step government” is delaying the processing of awarding EU payments to over 1,000 redundant SR Technics workers.
Accusing the government and the outgoing Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan of gross inaction, the Leinster MEP said: “I can confirm that as of today, the Commission has still to receive the outstanding paperwork required for the EU to make a final decision on payments under the European Globalisation Fund which will help secure the collective futures of the 1,100 workers who have lost their jobs at Dublin Airport.
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European council must show green ambition
Posted on March 24, 2010 by Andy White
Speaking today in the European Parliament today ahead of tomorrow's European Council meeting Nessa Childers said: "EU leaders must push for significant improvements of the so-called Europe 2020 Strategy if it is to really lead towards a truly sustainable and successful economy. It is simply not ambitious enough as regards emissions targets, biodiversity and green jobs.
"While the Strategy focuses on the EU economy, it must be coherent with other EU policies. To make real progress towards a sustainable economy and sustainable environment the EU needs to set clear targets for reducing energy and resource use, and substantially increase the ambitions for fighting climate change. The strategy for example is very weak on the issue of biodiversity, an area where Europe is already failing badly.
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Business as usual as Gormley misses EU river management plan deadline
Posted on March 22, 2010 by Andy White
The failure by Environment Minister and Green Party Leader John Gormley to submit important river management plans to the European Commission before tomorrow’s deadline has been strongly criticised by Labour MEP and member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, Nessa Childers.
“Concerns have been expressed today by an umbrella group of environmental NGOs in relation to the adequacy and standard of the river basin plans drawn up by local Councils. I believe that the assertions made by the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) should be fully examined and addressed by the Minister.
“Notwithstanding these concerns, the point remains that we have yet another case on our hands of the government completely failing to meet an important deadline on a critical environmental issue.
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Irish hospitals need new post of transplant coordinator
Posted on March 19, 2010 by Andy White
Ireland East MEP Nessa Childers today voted in the European Parliament, calling for action on organ donation and transplantation across Europe.
Approving an European Commission action plan to strengthen organ cooperation between member states, Ms Childers praised in particular for plans for a new 'transplant coordinator' at hospitals in each member-state.
Ms Childers, Ireland's only full member on the powerful Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, said "Ireland has a strong record on organ donation and transplantation, with organ donations in 2009 up 21% on the previous year, including a notable rise in much needed kidney donations.
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Childers calls on MEPs to support Traffic Light food labelling system
Posted on March 15, 2010 by Andy White
Nessa Childers MEP wants the European Parliament to adopt a new law that would force food manufacturers to carry a ‘traffic light’ colour coding on the levels of calories, sugar and fats contained in their products.
The Labour MEP says the EU’s proposed new food labelling initiative, which will be voted on tomorrow (Tuesday, 16th March) by the Parliament's Public Health & Food Safety Committee of which Nessa Childers is a Member, should not stop there.
Ms Childers said: “The ‘traffic light’ system is a simple, universally understood and transparent system that, if adopted, will go a long way towards helping to tackle Europe’s ticking obesity, diabetes, stroke and heart disease time-bomb.
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Airbrushing in teen magazines must be labelled
Posted on March 15, 2010 by Andy White
Labour MEP Nessa Childers is calling for mandatory labelling of airbrushed photographs in magazines aimed at young people following the recent publication of a major report into the practice.
“The report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK, from where many magazines on Irish shelves originate, makes it crystal clear that airbrushing plays a harmful role when it comes to negative body image and eating disorders. Airbrushing has a really damaging impact on people’s self-esteem and that’s why I am now calling for the European Commission to investigate the issue and consider introducing a mandatory warning label system.
"As a former mental health professional myself, I worked with many young Irish women who suffered from eating disorders and from depression due to lack of self-esteem and having poor self-image. Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses. Any quick look at the publications on the shelves of our local newsagents shows that this has really gone too far. Virtually no photograph in any glossy magazine one cares to mention hasn’t been given the airbrush treatment.
"We already know from research that over 70% of Irish teenagers feel negatively affected by media portrayal of body weight and shape. Based on the ‘2007 KIDSCREEN’ study of children across 13 countries, Irish teenagers ranked second last in terms of self-perception. This must be a worrying to all Irish parents.
"Today's unrealistic idea of what is beautiful means that young girls are under huge pressure. Airbrushing means that these magazines contain completely unattainable images that no one can possibly live up to in real life. No one really has perfect skin, perfect hair and a perfect figure, but women and young girls increasingly feel that nothing less than thin and perfect will do. And this is not just a female issue – it affects many young men also with 10% of cases of anorexia and bulimia affecting males.
"I have raised this issue with the European Commission and I am demanding that they investigate this matter not only from a health perspective but also as on the possible grounds of false advertising. I want proposals to mandate magazines and other publications to print a warning on digitally enhanced photographs. We may not be able to stop the practice outright but a warning label must be the first step forward.”
After a recent meeting with Ms.Childers on the issue of airbrushing in Irish magazines, James Doorley, Chairman of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland stated “We would support measures such as a warning label to alert consumers that the lifestyle and fashion images are unrealistic and doctored. We also believe that organisations such as Magazines Ireland and the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland should step up to the plate and ensure that all visual material used in articles and advertising are honest and truthful and is included with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society, in particular material aimed at children and young people. We would welcome EU intervention in this area also given that many of the magazines and material aimed at young people comes from outside Ireland.”
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Enormous gender balance still exists in political life
Posted on March 12, 2010 by Andy White
Do we need a quota system to ensure that women are fairly represented in electoral politics? Undoubtedly, the answer is yes.
Ten to fifteen years ago, I would have been optimistic that Irish society and Irish politics was on course to reach a much fairer and equitable balance of gender representation than that which currently exists.
We saw two women Presidents in that period. We saw two women Tanaisti. Yet despite these achievements, an enormous gender balance still exists in our national Parliament and on local authorities.
It is no exaggeration to say that progress for women in electoral politics in Ireland has been painfully slow. Without legal quota systems, progress will continue to be lethargic at best.
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