Sinn Féin's MEPs are to work within the United European Left and Nordic Green Alliance group in the European Parliament, they confirmed today.
As they prepared for their first visit to the Parliament as MEPs, Ms Mary Lou McDonald and Ms Bairbre de Brún said they would use their new platform to advance the peace process and push for European Union reform.
They said: "We enter the European Parliament as Sinn Féin MEPs mandated to deliver on our agenda for change and to deliver for Ireland. This means working effectively both inside the Parliament and in Ireland.
"In Europe we will work through the European United Left/Nordic Green Group (GUE/HGL) - this is a very effective and progressive group within the Parliament, which does not operate a whip system ensuring that for us, it is Sinn Féin's and Ireland's priorities, which will come first.
"We will also continue to engage with the widest possible range of MEPs and groups across Europe to advance our agenda for change on EU matters, the peace process and Irish unity and independence."
Sinn Fein's decision to link up with the United European Left/Nordic Green Alliance comes as little surprise.
The party hosted a visit by the group to north and west Belfast in March. However, during the visit to Belfast, the group of 33 MEPs was accused of being Trotskyite by Democratic Unionist, Mr Jim Allister.
The United European Left/Nordic Green Alliance has in the past drawn MEPs from the French, Portuguese and Italian Communist Parties, the Latvian and Dutch Socialists and the Greek Democratic Social Party.