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European Movement Ireland

EM Ireland

European Movement Ireland is a non-profit organisation connecting Irish citizens with the European Union.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Nina Carberry (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Nov 2025 · EU Affairs

Meeting with Seán Kelly (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Nov 2025 · Irish engagement in EU affairs

Meeting with Michael McGrath (Commissioner) and

25 Sept 2025 · Discussion on the work of the work Commissioner McGrath and updates on his portfolio topics.

European Movement Ireland urges concrete actions to protect civic space

5 Sept 2025
Topic — The EU is developing a strategy to protect and strengthen engagement with civil society actors.
Message — The organization requests a protection mechanism including early warning and investigation systems for attacks. They advocate for permanent structured dialogue and accessible funding for small and grassroots groups.123
Why — The strategy would protect their advocacy work and provide more stable, accessible funding.45
Impact — Governments restricting NGO funding would lose legal tools used to stigmatise civil society groups.67
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Response to Anti-racism Strategy

7 Jul 2025

At European Movement Ireland, we work proactively to upskill citizens, civil society and stakeholders to engage with the EU so that Ireland may contribute to a peaceful, progressive and democratic EU, with economic and social benefits for all. While the plan to present the new EU anti-racism strategy for 2026-2030 is welcome, and the general principle of working towards a Union of Equality is supported, we are concerned at the deteriorating situation for equality, unity, and respect for human dignity within and outside of the EU. Moreover, we are concerned by recent institutional decisions which suggest a de-prioritisation of equality, such as the amalgamation of the Commission equality portfolio with preparedness and crisis management, and the decision to withdraw the proposal for the Equal Treatment Directive. According to the FRA, Muslims in Europe have faced a sharp increase in discrimination since 2016, with one in two experiencing racism in their daily lives. Meanwhile 45% of people of African descent report experiencing racial discrimination, with Traveller and Roma communities also facing widespread stereotyping, discrimination and hate-speech. For all ethnic minorities, occurrences of racism and discrimination go largely unreported. With the growth of the far-right and growing anti-rights narratives, a robust Strategy to address racism in Europe is urgent. EM Ireland calls for an anti-racism strategy that is informed by lessons from the previous strategy and centred on inclusion and non-discrimination, while also addressing the significant lack of representation within the EU institutions, in particular the European Parliament. As the only directly elected institution, and despite the fact that ethnic minorities account for approximately 10% of the EU population, just 37 (5%) of the 720 MEPs elected in 2024 are from diverse backgrounds. Beyond this, the strategy should address barriers to political participation for ethnic minorities at the national, regional and local level to ensure policymaking is representative of all who are subject to it. The strategy should focus on addressing deeply embedded structural and institutional racism, and policymakers should regularly facilitate dialogue with civil society organisations who come from racialised and marginalised communities themselves to ensure the communities they represent are considered across all points in the policymaking process. In addition, the strategy should include comprehensive detail relating to monitoring and responding to deteriorating situations in Member States. Building on this, the strategy should align with and support an MFF which provides adequate funding for programmes whose objectives include combatting discrimination, racism and xenophobia; promoting inclusion and addressing societal polarisation; supporting civil society organisations to tackle racism and empower ethnic minorities and at-risk groups through both project and longer-term core funding. Furthermore, the strategy should align with initiatives centred on addressing mis-/disinformation both within and outside of the EU. Ethnic minorities and marginalised groups are often used as scapegoats in disinformation narratives, and subject to online abuse which can further impact their day-to-day lived experience of racism in Europe. Finally, while public consultations are useful for collecting initial civil society, citizen and stakeholder input, the strategy should formally incorporate spaces for ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders during its implementation. Facilitating dialogue, particularly with civil society organisations that work to address racism and accompany marginalised communities is essential to ensure the views of diverse communities are represented in policymaking and that challenges can be communicated swiftly.
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Meeting with Nina Carberry (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Feb 2025 · Blue Star Programme

Meeting with Michael Mcnamara (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Feb 2025 · Introduction

Meeting with Barry Cowen (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Feb 2025 · European Movement Ireland meet and greet

Meeting with Lynn Boylan (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Jan 2025 · European Movement Ireland’s Policy Report: Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Lebanon – the EU’s Response

Meeting with Nina Carberry (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Nov 2024 · Blue Star Programme Workshop

Meeting with Nina Carberry (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Nov 2024 · Blue Star Programme

Meeting with Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Oct 2024 · EU affairs in Ireland

Meeting with Nina Carberry (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Oct 2024 · Introduction to EMI

Meeting with Kathleen Funchion (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Oct 2024 · Introductory Meeting

Meeting with Seán Kelly (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Oct 2024 · Political Priorities for Ireland for the upcoming mandate

Meeting with Ciarán Cuffe (Member of the European Parliament) and Chambers Ireland

15 Nov 2023 · Exchange of views, including on energy policy and skills

Meeting with Ciarán Cuffe (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Sept 2023 · EMI State of the Union Panel

Meeting with John Berrigan (Director-General Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union)

23 May 2023 · Sustainable finance agenda

Meeting with Ciarán Cuffe (Member of the European Parliament) and Chambers Ireland and European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland

29 Mar 2023 · Irish economists

Meeting with Maria Walsh (Member of the European Parliament)

18 May 2022 · EU Promotion in Ireland

Meeting with Barry Andrews (Member of the European Parliament)

18 May 2022 · Introduction

Meeting with Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President)

18 May 2022 · Meeting the new Chairman of the organisation

Meeting with Mairead McGuinness (Commissioner) and

13 Apr 2022 · Situation in Ukraine Green Transition Digital Transition

Meeting with Mairead McGuinness (Commissioner) and

3 Dec 2021 · Introductory meeting with the new Chair; update on EMI activities; Conference on the Future of Europe

Meeting with Mairead McGuinness (Commissioner) and

16 Jun 2021 · recording of podcast

Meeting with Mairead McGuinness (Commissioner)

13 Nov 2020 · Address Stagiares.