MORE THAN four out of 10 Irish people believe the European Parliament is listening to them but 32 per cent believe it is not, an EU-wide poll on attitudes to the institution has shown.
The survey, taken in the last week of January to mid-February last, found 44 per cent of the Irish polled would like to see the parliament take on a more important role. It also found 12 per cent of Irish citizens polled would like to see the parliament play a lesser role in their lives.
In terms of policy priorities, Irish people believed improving consumer and public health protection was the most important priority, with 45 per cent support.
This was followed by climate change at 43 per cent, poverty and social exclusion at 41 per cent, and combating terrorism while respecting individual freedoms at 30 per cent.
A total of 26 per cent did not know whether or not the parliament was listening to them. Forty-one per cent of Irish people felt they were well informed about the workings of the parliament.
This was lower than the 55 per cent of Irish respondents who said they were not well-informed about the workings of the parliament.
The Eurobarometer survey found the parliament was perceived as “democratic” by 64 per cent of all Europeans, against 24 per cent who believed the contrary. It was considered “efficient” by 42 per cent of EU respondents, against 37 per cent who believed the contrary.
Mairéad McGuinness, Ireland East Fine Gael MEP, described the finding that Irish people would like to see the parliament take on a greater role as “a vote of confidence by Irish citizens in the European Parliament”.
She pointed out that the Lisbon Treaty gives the parliament greater powers of scrutiny over national legislation, and there was clear public support for the direction the EU was taking. She was concerned at the finding a sizeable minority did not believe the parliament was listening to them. “We need to ask why it is that people feel this way,” she said.