Sean Kelly Summer Newsletter

Welcome to my summer newsletter. "Summer?" I hear you say

sceptically. While it might not have been one to remember fondly just yet, hopefully

there is something better in store around the corner.

As always it's been a hectic few months here in the Parliament, but from a European

viewpoint much has been achieved. Firstly, Ireland passed the referendum on the

Fiscal Stability Treaty. The significance of this result, as well as the convincing

margin by which it was passed by the electorate within both the Irish and European

context cannot be overstated.

It helped put the country firmly at the centre of European affairs, a fact reflected by

the special mention afforded to Ireland and its current position at the recent summit, a

summit that helps establish a bit of 'smacht' over banks into the future.

The EU is not moving on to implement a real jobs and growth agenda, something I

have spoken on several times in Parliament over the past 12 months. Perseverance is

clearly the name of the game in politics.

I was appointed Rapporteur for the ITRE Committee on the upcoming Data Protection

Regulation. This is a huge honour and an even greater responsibility given the scope

and importance of this key piece of legislation. Already I have had over 100 meetings

with interested groups on the regulation which will have a significant impact not only

on consumers but data controllers also. This is regarded as the most important dossier

that will go through Parliament in this five year mandate, so, to have an MEP from

Ireland appointed to the role of Rapporteur can only be positive for a country that is

becoming an increasingly favoured destination for many of the leading global IT

companies.

CAP too is garnering much attention in recent weeks, and is something I have been

quite active in. In fact I have put down a significant number of amendments based on

the needs of Irish agriculture, all of which will be debated following the summer

recess.

Euro 2012 has been and gone. To celebrate the occasion the Polish delegation

organised a wonderful (and incredibly professional) tournament right in front of the

Parliament building. It proved to be a memorable day. I played for the Irish team (for

those in disbelief see picture below for proof). We were beaten in a penalty shoot out

by eventual winners Portugal (who boasted a former international goalkeeper and a

former Premier League player and Champions League winner in their ranks). We

picked up the 'Fair Play' award for our efforts.

I also, along with the Taoiseach, Ministers Jimmy Deenihan and Ciaran Cannon, and

Brendan Griffin TD completed the Ring of Kerry Cycle on July 7. In spite of a

number of considerable hurdles - no training, no bicycle of my own (I had to use my

wife's) and no bicycle shorts - I managed to complete it. I'm delighted the charity,

Cystic Fibrosis, will benefit from my efforts.

I feel I must also mention the shocking and tragic ordeal experienced by the Harte and

McAreavy families in Mauritius. I felt compelled to speak out on the matter.

Thankfully the Government are now acting and the authorities in Mauritius have now

promised to pursue and apprehend the lovely Michaela's killer(s).

I am looking forward to the Young Fine Gael conference in Killarney on the weekend

of July 27 and 28, especially the discussion on tourism. Recently I was pleased to host

the EPP Bureau Conference in Killarney, the first in Ireland since 1979, where the

issue of tourism topped the agenda. I am glad to say that all who attended said it was

the best they had ever attended and many planned to come back to Ireland in the very

near future, for both extended holidays and short term breaks.

I also recently made a presentation to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on

Ireland and the way of St James. There is great potential here to develop similar

pilgrimages in Ireland, and I look forward to working on that in the future.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely summer, and, please God, the sun will

shine on us.

Sean Kelly

ONLINE PRIVACY: SEAN KELLY MEP TO HOST BRUSSELS MEETING WITH US PRESIDENT'S CHIEF INTERNET ADVISER

Sean Kelly MEP will host a second meeting on Data Protection with the Chief Internet Adviser to the US President, Cameron Kerry, at the European Parliament on June 19th.

The Brussels meeting follows initial discussions between the Ireland South MEP and Mr Kerry, the US General Counsel of the Commerce Department, in Washington last week.

"The proposed EU Data Protection Regulation 2012 is a key piece of legislation currently working its way through the European Parliament. It aims to establish rules to protect the internet user's right to privacy when exchanging information online and will also address the practice of companies 'sharing' that information with third parties.

"The European Parliament is currently reviewing the issue of online information sharing and ownership while a bill on the same topic has just been published by the US Congress. Both I and Mr Kerry agree that the EU and US should take the lead in setting out regulations for data protection. So, now is the time to coordinate action on this issue," said Mr Kelly, who will co-

author the Parliament's report on the Data

Protection Regulation.

"I support practical user-friendly measures such as the 'right

to be forgotten', meaning the online data of internet users will not be stored if there is no legitimate grounds to do so. In order to fully address online privacy, however, common wording on key elements should to be implemented in both EU and US law to ensure a coherent legislative approach to the problem."

"I support practical user-friendly measures such as the 'right to be forgotten', meaning the online data of internet users will not be stored if there is no legitimate grounds to do so."

'ROAMING RIP-OFF ENDS 1st JULY' - SEAN KELLY MEP

"Mobile phone users will enjoy substantially reduced mobile roaming charges from Sunday, July 1st thanks to new EU rules," Sean Kelly MEP said.

Mr Kelly (Ireland South) who helped negotiate the newly lowered costs as a member of the responsible Industry Committee at the European Parliament, says July 1st marks a significant day for consumers:

"Some operators have been making profits of over 200% on the back of calls made by customers roaming in other EU countries or 400% for calls

received while roaming. The fees imposed on mobile users were totally unfair and disproportionate.

"Since 2007, the EU has worked to lower roaming costs and July 1st 2012 is a culmination of those efforts, but the benefits will not end on Sunday with prices due to drop even further by July 2014. In fact, it's estimated that Europeans will spend around €5 billion on roaming services this year - a saving of around €15 billion compared to what the same services would have cost under 2007 prices," Mr Kelly explained.

Current/Pre-July 1st roaming chargesCurrent or pre-July 1st cap on roaming charges:• 35 euro cent per minute to make a call• 11 cent per minute to receive a call• 11 cent per text message sent• No specific cap has ever applied to data downloads. Operators have charged up to 4 Euro per megabyte downloaded in some cases (internet usage charged by the kilobyte used)

New roaming rates from July 1st 2012Under the new rules, applicable from July, consumers travelling in another EU country will pay no more than:• 29 euro cent per minute to make a call (Down from 35 cent p/min)• 8 cent per minute to receive a call (Down from 11 cent p/min)• 9 cent per text message sent (Down from 11 cent p/text)• 70 cent per megabyte downloaded (internet usage charged by the kilobyte used)

New roaming rates from July 1st 2014Under further decreases planned for July 2014, consumers travelling in another EU country will pay no more than:• 19 euro cents per minute to make a call• 5 cent per minute to receive a call• 6 cent per text message sent• 20 cent per megabyte downloaded (internet usage charged by the kilobyte used)

During negotiations, Mr Kelly was particularly vocal about the need to drastically reduce the charges for downloading data or internet usage: "Most people have smart phones now and many require them for work purposes. The exorbitant price charged for internet use up on mobile phones until now was a huge hindrance to businesses who are already dealing with large overheads.

"Experts estimate that a family of four going on holiday to France or Italy for a week and using a smart phone while

roaming (with average data/internet usage of email, social media etc) can expect to save up to €200 after July 1st, compared to 2009 prices.

"Customers nearing €50 expenditure when roaming will receive a warning message from their operator to prevent people unknowingly overspending. Users will also be free to use the services of other operators when abroad in order to keep holiday phone bills down," Mr Kelly added.

"... it's estimated that Europeans will spend around €5 billion on roaming services this year - a saving of around €15 billion compared to what the same services would have cost under 2007 prices,"

Sean Kelly MEP honours the Irish Society of the Friends of St James

Sean Kelly MEP honoured the Irish Society of the Friends of Saint James during a special event at the European Parliament, Strasbourg yesterday (Thursday) and called for the restoration of a culturally significant Irish College in Santiago.

The Ireland South MEP pointed to the special historical Irish-Spanish connection in commending the organisation:

"2012 marks the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of the Irish society of the friends of Saint James, which is made up of mainly Irish pilgrims who have either made the pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint James in Santiago or have an interest in it. Irish people make up the 7th largest group undertaking the pilgrimage on a yearly basis, a testament to the persistent efforts of the society since 1992.

"The city of Santiago de Compostela itself holds a certain level of historical importance to us Irish on another level also. There were approximately 34 Irish colleges opened across Europe between the 16th and the 18th century, with the purpose of preserving Irish cultural traditions at a time when they were coming under serious threat."

"The college in Santiago is 400 years old and is one of five Irish colleges in Spain. Irish clerical students who were forced to leave Ireland to escape the Penal laws against Catholics at the beginning of the 17th century were trained as priests in these colleges. After being educated and duly ordained, these clerical students then returned to Ireland as priests to conduct their underground ministry."

Mr Kelly also said that the Irish college in Santiago should be restored as an importance cultural site in due course. Concluding his tribute to the Irish Society of the Friends of Saint James, Mr Kelly wished the group every future success:

"The contribution that these Irish colleges made in keeping the spirit of the Irish nation alive is perhaps not given enough recognition in Ireland.

"Over the last 20 years, the society has advanced the education of the public as to the pilgrimage, and its related history, art, architecture and music. They have proved hugely successful in bringing together those interested in the pilgrimage.

"The society has also done a fantastic job in ensuring the preservation of monuments and works of art connected with St. James and the pilgrimage."

Special EU award proposed for Green school status - Sean Kelly MEP

A special EU award for Irish schools that achieve 'green school status' has been proposed by Ireland South MEP, Sean Kelly.

In a speech to the European Parliament this week, Mr Kelly praised Ireland's Green-Schools programme and made a special point of recognising the efforts of teachers and pupils involved in the scheme which promotes eco-friendly policies.

"I think the EU should give credit to the teachers and pupils involved in the green schools scheme. There should be an EU award for the hard work of teachers involved who often volunteer their time, perhaps with a visit to the European

Parliament for winners. I have visited many schools in Ireland South and witnessed the enormous commitment of staff and pupils to this particularly commendable initiative."

The Fine Gael MEP says the ethos of green schools echoes Europe's commitmentto the environment and plays a vital part in educating future generations so that they will be willing and able to preserve our natural resources.

"The green school scheme has transformed Irish people's attitude to the environment by using the influence of educators to promote an early positive attitude across younger generations."

The schools involved are rewarded for implementing environmental educational opportunities with an award scheme that promotes and acknowledges long-term, whole school action for the environment. Participating schools are awarded green flags for their achievements. It takes around 10 years to achieve full green school status with all flags awarded.

"I think the EU should give credit to the teachers and pupils involved in the green schools scheme."

SHANNON SPLITS DAA: CORK SHOULD FOLLOW - SEAN KELLY MEP

In welcoming the separation of Shannon Airport from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Sean Kelly MEP has now called for Cork Airport to gain the same independence.

"Now that we have taken this initial step with Shannon Airport, it would be logical that Cork should follow," the Ireland South MEP said in Brussels, ahead of the key debate on regional airports at the European Parliament today.

"I warmly welcome the announcement by the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, that Shannon airport and Shannon Development will form a new single entity separate from the DAA.

"I have raised the case for separation with regard to Shannon Airport in the European Parliament on many occasions. The announcement also coincides on a major Parliament debate on the future of regional airports across Europe in Brussels today. A strong network of regional airports is vital for Europe's trade and tourism policies. Securing the future of the airports like Shannon and Cork are therefore essential and that's what I have lobbied for here in Europe.

Mr Kelly commended all those involved in securing the decision, describing it as a momentous turning point for the entire Shannon region and for Irish tourism and transport in general.