Ms. Grace O'Sullivan:

It is wonderful to be back in the Seanad Chamber. The last time I was here, the Chamber was being renovated. Fair dues. It has been a brilliant day to be here and to see it looking so well. I say “Hello” to all my of my former colleagues, to friends, to my fellow MEPs and to the administration staff here in the Seanad today. As a former Member of the House, and as a former member of the Civil Engagement Group here in the Seanad from 2016-2019, it gives me great pleasure to be here, in this particular year, when we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Seanad Éireann. For those I have not met, I am a mother, and I call myself a peace, climate and social justice activist. I am an ecologist and I have been a Green Party MEP for Ireland's South consituency since 2019.

As the Senators are no doubt aware, and as my colleagues have said, the European Parliament was elected as a legislative structure to unite European citizens’ voices, since 1979.I was elected 40 years after this first election on the back of a green wave that could not have arrived at a more urgent time. I have spent most of my life actively campaigning on ecological and environmental issues and finding ways to make my work in the issues on which I campaign connect with people on the ground.

My past work with Greenpeace, my work as an ecologist, previous work in the Seanad and current work in the European Parliament are all very much interconnected. The focus of my work as a legislator in the European Parliament continues to be driven by that passion for the environment, biodiversity and creating a fairer planet for all.

Key work that I started here in the Seanad, for example, when I introduced a Bill on microbeads and microplastic pollution, continues apace for me at European level where later this year, I will work as a shadow rapporteur on the waste packaging directive. This legislation comes out of the ENVI committee, that is, the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of which I am a member.

This committee is also where my work on the environment action programme to 2030 originated. This programme is far-reaching, decade-long legislation relating to the environment. I have been honoured to be the European Parliament's lead negotiator on this legislation. I am proud that after putting in a tremendous, hard teamworking effort over the past year, we successfully steered this legislation through very challenging negotiations with the European Commission and European Council, which showed stubborn opposition to introducing some ambitious environmental targets and commitments. We got it over the line, however. Next month's plenary meeting in Strasbourg will have the final votes on this legislation, which will see progress and actions on areas such as environmentally harmful subsidies, a well-being economy, soil protection and equally important conditions that ensure success in roll-out and implementation such as policy coherence, monitoring frameworks and binding targets. In particular, I am proud of the commitment to set down a deadline in the EU for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies that is consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C as per the lower limit laid down in the Paris Agreement. I can tell Senators that this was hard fought.

Going back in time again to reiterate the importance of that sense of connectedness I think is so vital, when I was 21, I joined Greenpeace and over the next 20 years, I was engaged in activism on peace, human rights and environment issues all over the world. Something I carry with me from that time is a sense of not just being a citizen of Europe and Ireland but being a global citizen. As such, I am a proud member of a number of delegations in the European Parliament, including the delegation for relations with Palestine, a country for which I know many Senators campaign and work very hard. If Senator Black was in the Chamber, she would be glad to hear me mention Palestine because I know of the huge work she has done in that area.

Another experience I take forward from my days in Greenpeace, and having been to Antarctica twice and seeing its beautiful richness, is that I tabled a resolution in the European Parliament to create two massive marine protected areas covering more than 3 million sq. km of southern ocean in the Antarctic. This is the largest area ever proposed to become a marine protected area. Work related to marine protection is really important for me, not only in Europe and globally but here on the home front. As spokesperson for the Green Party on the marine, I know that I am supported by Senator Pippa Hackett and the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, who engaged with me on the marine and planning protection work.

I am a member of the PECH committee, that is, the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries, where I engaged over the past two years on really important legislation on the reform of the EU fisheries control system. This is an area in which the parliament wields significant control and power, with a direct impact on ocean sustainability and fishers livelihoods from how catches are recorded in logbooks to inspections, weighing and infringement procedures. Irish fishers have often raised concerns about how the EU regulates these areas but our concern is that there will be more leniency towards industrial fishers while not supporting small-scale fishers. Well-managed fisheries are of high importance to us.

The bottom line for me has always been about nurturing nature because we are part of the natural system. I look forward to hearing about Senators' work and answering their questions and to working collaboratively with Senators from all parties and none, as they say. If we are to make progress, we have to work collectively together. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach very much.