Fine Gael must clarify working with far-right in Europe, Ó Ríordáin says

Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has criticised the European People’s Party – Fine Gael’s grouping in the European Parliament – for siding with the far-right on NGO funding.

Last week, a decision was made by the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents to set up a new working group targeting NGO funding.

The European People’s Party is the largest grouping in the European Parliament, with 188 seats, but has found itself relying on the far-right Identity and Democracy and Europe Of Sovereign Nations on the likes of migration policy, and now, setting up a taskforce to target NGOs.

Ó Ríordáin said “the decision to create a special scrutiny group that exclusively targets funding for NGOs is a blatant political stunt by the EPP and their far-right allies. This isn’t about transparency. It’s about silencing civil society.”

The Labour MEP commented, “if they truly cared about oversight, they’d scrutinise all recipients of EU funds, including corporations and lobbyists. Instead, they scapegoat the very groups that defend democracy and human rights.”

Ó Ríordáin said it was “indefensible” that Fine Gael are part of the EPP grouping, saying it was “deeply troubling, and frankly embarrasing for Irish representatives to align themselves with political agendas that clash completely with Irish values.”

“We’ve already seen the EPP launch a series of attacks on UNRWA, the only humanitarian agency with the expertise and capacity to deliver life-saving aid in Gaza. This vehemently goes against the clear call of the Irish people for an end to the genocide and for urgent humanitarian action,” he noted.

Ó Ríordáin said that the Socialists and Democrats group, which backs the European People’s Party in a loose coalition alongside Renew (Fianna Fáil’s grouping), stand for transparency and accountability.

“We proposed a balanced working group to examine funding across all sectors benefiting from EU money, yet the EPP blocked this,” he said.

“Fine Gael must answer to Irish voters for staying tied to a political group veering so dangerously off course. They may not support these attacks outright, but their membership in an increasingly extreme bloc cannot be brushed aside. You cannot claim to stand for human rights at home while backing a group that erodes them in Brussels,” he said.

“In a European Parliament where the forces of the far-right are gaining unprecedented traction, Irish MEPs have a duty to hold the line and stand firm for basic freedoms and democracy. I will continue to fight to protect NGOs and defend the fundamental values that Irish people stand for.”