I had the privilege for the past five years of representing the Munster constituency in the European Parliament as an independent MEP. I sought a mandate on those terms and saw it through on those terms. I do so again. We are running an independent campaign for an independent seat. The replacement candidates are also independent of party political affiliation. Being an independent, free from domestic party political pressure in Ireland, has enhanced my role in the European Parliament, a point recognised by my Liberal Democrat colleagues when first they elected me as deputy President and eventually as President of our group.
The next five years will pose major challenges to the European Union itself and to Ireland's role in that Union. Reconnecting citizens to Europe, for many connecting them for the first time, is essential.
The Amsterdam Treaty entered into force on May 1st and brings to the European Parliament a vast increase in the substance and weight of its legislative role. This occurs in a context where the Parliament itself has come of age and reached a new level of maturity in the exercise of democratic control on behalf of the citizens of Europe.
No longer will the Parliament be treated as a junior partner in European affairs. Democratic control and parliamentary accountability are now the order of the day. Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Parliament is set to gain substantial new legislative powers. The issues of enlargement, common foreign and security policy, justice and home affairs, the fight against fraud, crime and corruption, a sustainable environment and the development of economic policy within EMU are all decidedly political in character. I believe I have the energy ,capacity and experience to contribute substantially to the shaping of these issues at the level of the European Parliament in a manner consistent with Europe's and Ireland's emerging interests and needs.
For a full Parliamentary record, news and views and a high volume of useful of European contacts and information * visit www.patcox.ie
