GREEN PARTY leader Eamon Ryan is considering contesting the next European Parliament elections in Dublin.
Mr Ryan said yesterday he would make a decision in the autumn when the party chooses its candidates for the European and local elections scheduled for 2014.
“As I see it, the parliament is going to become increasingly more important, as we are going to need a democratic institution to keep an eye on a reintegrated Europe,” he added.
“Our party has a strong group in Europe. We have a real presence with real friends there.”
Mr Ryan said his party was currently working with colleagues in the European Parliament and the Bundestag on various issues.
Mr Ryan, who was minister for transport, enterprise, trade and employment in the last government, was first elected to the Dáil for the Dublin South constituency in 2002.
However, he lost his seat in the last general election, as the party was wiped out in a swing against the outgoing government. The party’s vote fell by 4 per cent in Dublin South, leaving Mr Ryan with just 7 per cent and out of contention for a seat.
There was speculation that he would attempt to return to the Dáil by contesting Dublin South next time, but the constituency was reduced to the three-seat Dublin Rathdown in the constituency revision. This would pose a formidable challenge to Mr Ryan, or another Green Party candidate, in winning a seat.
Following the general election, party leader John Gormley stood down and was replaced by Mr Ryan, who has taken to the job with considerable energy and enthusiasm.
The Greens had a poor performance in Dublin in the 2009 European elections, with the party’s candidate Deirdre de Búrca eliminated before her former colleague Independent Patricia McKenna, who once held a seat for the party.
The seats were taken by Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell, Labour’s Proinsias De Rossa, who has since stood down in favour of Emer Costello, and Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party, who stood down in favour of Paul Murphy following his re-election to the Dáil.
The election was held at a time of considerable unpopularity for the Green Party and coalition colleagues, Fianna Fáil.
