In a vote in Strasbourg on Wednesday morning, Mairead McGuinness secured her place as vice-president of the European Parliament for a further two-and-a-half years. McGuinness received 466 votes in the first count, representing 75% of the valid poll of MEPs.

“I am honoured to have been re-elected as vice-president of Parliament and as first vice-president in particular, with such strong support from across the house reflecting my work as a fair and firm vice president,” said McGuinness, who failed to receive nomination from her party to run for president of European Parliament.

“The new year signals a challenging time for the EU ahead of Brexit negotiations. It will be a particularly challenging time for Ireland and our best interests are served by a united EU27 negotiating a deal on Brexit which addresses the many challenges facing us and the EU. In that context is very important that Ireland has strong visibility in the European Parliament,” added McGuinness.

As first vice-president, McGuinness will replace the newly elected President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani,should he be absent or unable to discharge his duties.

“This year there will be renewed focus on agriculture policy in advance of likely further reforms post 2020, which will be influenced by further tightening of the EU budget, demands for greater environmental delivery and the need to strengthen the food supply chain in favour of the primary producer, “ said the Midlands-North-West MEP who has responsibility for the Parliament’s scientific research body – STOA, which aims to bridge the gap between the scientific community and policy-makers.

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