The European Parliament has voted to approve Mairead McGuinness as the new EU Commissioner for Financial Stability with 583 votes in favour to 75 against.

IFA president Tim Cullinan has sent his congratulations, adding that today’s approval underlines the stature of Commissioner McGuinness on the European stage.

Cullinan said: “We are at a very sensitive point in the Brexit negotiations. There was never a greater need for a strong and authoritative Irish nominee at the Commission table.

“McGuinness will bring a credible and experienced voice on agriculture to the discussions, which will be crucial in defending our position as the talks head towards a conclusion.”

Maintained effort

The IFA welcomed comments from Commissioner McGuinness during her hearing on Friday last that “sustainability is not only green, but social too” and that “no case is too small for us to know about in the Commission”.

The organisation has said it will also be looking to the Commissioner to maintain her work on unfair trading practices as a key priority.

Commissioner McGuinness has developed a strong network across the EU institutions, which the IFA said it hopes will also be helpful in building alliances for Ireland.

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