Liam Aylward (Fianna Fáil)

candidate EU elections
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Climate change and green technology, Irish language, sports and culture, public health, food safety, and agriculture are my priorities and my interests.



Key issues which I am focussing on as a member of the Environment Committee in the European Parliament include the folliowing: -



* To ensure that the European Union remains to the forefront in guaranteeing the full implementation of the Kyoto Accord. This will help to reduce the use of greenhouse gases which as done so much to deplete the ozone layer in recent years. This has resulted in substantial changes to our climate and is affecting our coastal and island communities.



* Supports the full implementation of an EU Environmental Technologies Action Plan.



* In promoting better waste management services we must invest in cleaner and better environmental technologies.



* The use of clean technologies both boosts competitiveness and strengthens environmental protection.



* I support the full implementation of a new EU Strategy on Waste Prevention and Recycling.



* Support better regulation of the EU chemicals industry. The proposed new regulation on EU Chemicals Policy is one of the most significant and extensive legislative packages in this area for many years.



* I am lobbying the European Commission to ensure that it continues to use all necessary powers to strictly monitor the activities of British Nuclear Fuels LTD at the Sellafield and Thorp nuclear plants.



Key issues which I am focused on as a member of the Agriculture Committee include the following:



* That the present proposals of the European Commission to reform the sugar industry are fundamentally unacceptable from an Irish perspective.

* Proposals concerning price support and quotas even taking into account recommended compensation levels will be devastating for our sugar beet growers in Ireland.

* Already a sugar plant has closed in Carlow. At the last session of the European Parliament, I sought assurances from the European Commission that it will not allow the sale of sugar quotas across national borders beacuse of the even greater damage that this would do to the future of the Irish sugar industry.

* E.U. institutions are now working towards implementing the EU budget between the years 2007 and 2013.

* I am working closely with the European Commission and with the Irish Government to ensure that substantial funding is put aside to implement rural development measures.

* Will vigorously oppose any efforts to reduce or eliminate export refunds which are such central support mechanisms for Irish agriculture and our food industry.

* Will fully support the increased role of the European Food Safety Authority which is central to EU plans to improve the safety of the European food chain into the future.