Tag Archives: Deirdre Clune MEP

Ireland South MEP and member of the EU Transport committee Deirdre Clune has welcomed cross party support from other MEPs in her bid to pressure the European Commission into taking immediate action in the case of Norwegian Airs bid to fly to the US from Shannon and Cork. In a letter to Commissioner Bulc, Ireland South MEPs from across the political divide have asked the Commissioner to trigger the arbitration process in the license application process without delay, as well as setting out the timeline and procedure for this. Speaking as the Norwegian Airlines license application issue rumbles on, MEP Clune said the Commissioner must act now and begin the process of arbitration in the dispute, whose delay is in direct breach of the US-EU Open Skies agreement, so that the flights can begin operating from Cork and Shannon Airports. “In July 2016, the European Commission said that it would initiate arbitration proceedings against the US Department of Transport due …

Ireland South MEP, Deirdre Clune has cautioned those in the tourist trade not to ignore the fact that the tourism market has gone digital. “Fáilte Ireland research shows that over 73% of holidaymakers to Ireland use the internet for planning a holiday here. What is more interesting is how they are using the internet. According to travel website Tnooz.com, in the first half of 2014, nearly 16% of bookings and 19% of room nights were booked on tablets and smartphones. 41% of web visitors and nearly 38% of page views were generated from non-desktop devices (mobile and tablet). Tourism providers need to optimize their presence in all three channels to provide the best user experience on each device,” said Ms Clune following a meeting of the European Parliament’s Tourism Taskforce. “It is not just about having a website anymore. Small B&Bs, restaurants and tourism providers need a complete online strategy that includes social media, promotions, online bookings and linkages to …

Two Ireland South MEPs, Deirde Clune and Sean Kelly have secured membership of much sought-after European Parliament committees. As the new parliamentary term began in Strasbourg this week,  Fine Gael delegation leader in the parliament, Mairead McGuinness, confirmed the party’s committee memberships. They are: Mairead McGuinness (Midlands North West) – Full membership of Agriculture & Rural Development/AGRI, substitute on Environment, Public Health & Food Safety/ENVI Sean Kelly (South) – Full membership of Industry and Energy/ITRE, substitute on Internal Market/INTA Deirdre Clune (South) – Full membership of Transport & Tourism/TRAN, substitute on Employment & Social Affairs/EMPL Brian Hayes (Dublin) – Full membership of Economic & Monetary Affairs/ECON, substitute on Development/DEVE & Budgetary control/CONT “We have been successful in securing membership of committees which are important to Ireland and the EU. These committees will be pivotal in driving the agenda for growth and jobs in the EU,” Ms McGuinness said. “The next five years in the European Parliament must focus on creating …