MEP Maria Walsh urges UN to establish taskforce to eliminate sexual deepfakes
MEP Maria Walsh met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York and urged him to tackle the scourge of sexual deepfakes destroying the lives of women and girls. MEP Walsh is on an official mission from the European Parliament to the UN’s 70th session of the Council on the Status of Women (CSW) and […]
EU commits to tackling period poverty ahead of International Women’s Day – MEP Maria Walsh
The decision by the European Commission to tackle period poverty in its new Gender Equality Strategy marks a major step forward for the campaign to end menstrual poverty across Europe, according to Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh. The strategy for 2026–2030, published this week, confirms that the Commission will organise an exchange of best practices […]
Ireland must work with EU to safeguard energy supply amid Middle East crisis – MEP Maria Walsh
The Irish Government must coordinate with the EU to safeguard energy supply and protect consumers from price gouging amidst the escalating crisis in the Middle East, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said. MEP Walsh is also calling on the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), Ireland’s energy regulator, to carefully monitor the situation for […]
ECJ referral backfires as Mercosur deal is fast-tracked – MEP Maria Walsh
MEPs who supported the European Court of Justice (ECJ) referral must take responsibility for their role in the fast-tracking of the Mercosur deal, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said. In January, nine Irish MEPs voted to refer the Mercosur trade deal to the ECJ. At the time, MEP Walsh warned that the move would […]
EU one step closer to approving common consent-based definition of rape – MEP Maria Walsh
The European Parliament’s Gender Equality Committee has backed a consent-based definition of rape, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said. The Gender Equality Committee, along with the Justice Committee, has called on the European Commission to propose legislation which will establish an EU-wide definition of rape that is based on the requirement of freely given, […]
Opportunity for Sinn Féin to correct voting record on anniversary of Ukraine invasion – MEP Maria Walsh
Sinn Féin MEPs have a chance to reverse their shameful voting record on Russia at a key vote in Brussels tomorrow, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said. An extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament will take place on 24th February to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. During the […]
MEP Walsh proposes increased Horizon Europe funding for agriculture and fisheries
As one of the key negotiators in the European Parliament on Horizon Europe, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has tabled proposals to increase funding for agriculture and fisheries. MEP Maria Walsh is the lead Agriculture negotiator for the European People’s Party (EPP) on Horizon Europe, the largest funding programme in the European Union for research […]
Government must cut red-tape blocking Mother and Baby redress payments – MEP Maria Walsh
The Government must remove the unnecessary red-tape blocking survivors from accessing much-needed redress payments, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said. Less than 10% of the redress budget has been spent after two years of the scheme being in operation, with an estimated underspend of €68.5 million in 2025. According to survivors, this is due […]
EU emergency phone number needed to protect citizens in crisis – MEP Maria Walsh
MEP Maria Walsh has called on the European Commission to deliver an EU-wide emergency phone number service to protect citizens in times of crisis. MEP Walsh, along with her fellow co-chairs of the European Parliament’s Mental Health Intergroup, has written to Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen calling for the creation of new EU legislation to establish […]
Wrongfully convicted gay men to finally receive justice – MEP Maria Walsh
Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has welcomed the Government’s decision to introduce a scheme to overturn historic convictions for same-sex relations. The scheme will allow gay and bisexual men convicted under former laws criminalising consensual sex between adult men to have those convictions formally erased. MEP Walsh was part of the Fine Gael LGBTQ+ Network […]