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Find your match All South Candidates
Eddie Punch

Eddie Punch

Independent

Priorities

  • Other

    Future of Food Security and Family Farm model in Europe

  • Other

    Implementation of EU Disability Strategy

  • Other

    Mental Health Issues to inform all aspects of EU Policy making

These answers were provided by the candidate

EU integration
1 of 21 questions
European integration has gone too far
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "I believe in the principle of subsidiarity - that decision making should be as close as possible to the people affected where it makes sense. Ireland must retain its right to decide many areas such as taxation and any further transfer of sovereignty should be a matter for referendum"

- Eddie Punch
EU enlargement
2 of 21 questions
It would be good if Ukraine joins the EU in the next five years
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It is impossible to predict how the war in Ukraine will evolve. The consequences of Ukrainian accession are far reaching and we should have open debate in Europe about relevant issues like financial impact, common defence implications, acquis communautaire, governance, consequences for Ireland "

- Eddie Punch
Economic policy
3 of 21 questions
Corporation tax rates should be fully harmonised across the EU
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Member states must retain the right to decide corporate tax and this is particularly vital for small countries like Ireland "

- Eddie Punch
Economic policy
4 of 21 questions
The EU budget should be increased, even if this means wealthy countries paying more
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "We need to increase budget for Common Agricultural Policy in line with increased cost of production if we want to ensure EU food security and also other areas such as cybersecurity "

- Eddie Punch
Commission President
5 of 21 questions
Ursula von der Leyen should receive a second term as Commission President
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Commissioner von der Leyen should not get a second term because she decided to give Israel the go-ahead to destroy Gaza without first consulting with the heads of state for the 27 members and this was a disgraceful over-reach which has had deadly consequences. "

- Eddie Punch
Defence
6 of 21 questions
EU member states, including Ireland, should collaborate more on defence and security
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Ireland needs to work out how, as a neutral country, we are going to prepare for the future defence and security needs- dependency on UK is not a viable way forward. "

- Eddie Punch
Defence
7 of 21 questions
The EU should have a common army
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Defence
8 of 21 questions
The EU should finance more weapons for Ukraine
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The choice is help Ukraine to defend itself or accept Russia taking over Ukraine. If Russia prevails, it will have adverse consequences for the future peace and security of the EU and the EU will end up having to finance more weapons for EU member armies to defend the EU borders. "

- Eddie Punch
Defence
9 of 21 questions
Ireland should retain its ‘triple lock’ rule for deploying troops
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Foreign policy
10 of 21 questions
The EU should suspend its trade agreement with Israel
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Foreign policy
11 of 21 questions
Each member state should have a veto on EU foreign policy
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Immigration
12 of 21 questions
Ireland should participate in the EU’s new migration pact
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The migration pact does not face up to the fact that unlimited immigration into the EU is not sustainable and Ireland should not acquiesce to a pact without proper debate. The opt out options need to be considered fully. "

- Eddie Punch
Immigration
13 of 21 questions
Member states should share responsibility for asylum applications in the EU
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Member states should first determine if there are any limits to how many can be accommodated. "

- Eddie Punch
Immigration
14 of 21 questions
The EU should operate search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "EU should prioritise putting people traffickers out of business. "

- Eddie Punch
Immigration
15 of 21 questions
Ireland needs to do more to ensure asylum applicants have suitable accommodation
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "If we want all asylum applicants to have suitable accommodation , then there must be limits on how many. It is not rational to say that there must be no limits to numbers and that all must be housed, even though we already have a housing crisis that government has failed to solve. "

- Eddie Punch
Immigration
16 of 21 questions
There should be checkpoints at the border with Northern Ireland to limit the number of asylum seekers coming to Ireland
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Environment
17 of 21 questions
The EU’s Nature Restoration Law, requiring rewetting of peatlands, should be adopted
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It was based on completely inaccurate estimates of emissions from Irish peatlands- it is now accepted by the EPA that the net emissions figure is 2.48 M Tons whereas the debate assumed it was 7.09 M Tons - when the facts change, your mind changes. "

- Eddie Punch
Environment
18 of 21 questions
The EU’s goal of a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is too ambitious
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There is no real pathway to achieving this without either imposing severe hardship on citizens, outsourcing emissions to other regions outside EU or greenwashing by suspect carbon offsets. "

- Eddie Punch
Environment
19 of 21 questions
More windfarms (including onshore windfarms) should be built in Ireland
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Support offshore windfarms but onshore windfarms are being forced upon communities that don't want them "

- Eddie Punch
Agriculture
20 of 21 questions
Ireland should continue to seek special treatment for Irish farmers on the Nitrates (water quality) directive
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Irish farmers have done a lot to improve sustainability and our grass fed farming systems should be supported."

- Eddie Punch
Agriculture
21 of 21 questions
The EU should reduce subsidies for high-emissions farming, such as beef and dairy
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Irish grass-fed is a better way of producing high quality nutrition for EU Consumers than outsourcing beyond EU where emissions/kg product will be higher. International emissions estimates for our livestock are not accurate for Irish conditions. Farmers want their carbon sinks accredited to them"

- Eddie Punch