NEXT YEAR’S EUROPEAN elections will take place between Thursday 6 and Sunday 9 June, in which Ireland will elect a total of 14 Members of European Parliament.

The EU presidency announced the dates today and each country can choose which day to hold their own elections within that time frame. 

They will be held at the same time as local elections, which were originally set to take place in May 2024.

Ireland will vote for an additional MEP due to the increase in the country’s population since last elections.

Ireland’s number of MEPs last increased in the 2019 European elections, held on 24 May, with voters electing 13 MEPs, compared to the previous 11.

11 MEPs took their seats on 2 July 2019 while the remaining two MEPs took their seats on 1 February 2020 after the United Kingdom’s EU parliament seats were redistributed following Brexit.

Barry Andrews (Fianna Fáil/Renew Europe) was elected for the Dublin constituency, while Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael/EPP) took the additional seat for the South constituency.

It is believed that Dublin will get next year’s additional seat, bringing its total number of MEPs to five.

Ireland’s current MEPs are:

• Ciaran Cuffe (Green Party/European Free Alliance), Dublin
• Barry Andrews (Fianna Fáil/Renew Europe), Dublin
• Clare Daly (Independents for change/GUE/NGL), Dublin
• Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael/EPP), Dublin
• Luke Ming Flanagan (Independent/GUE/NGL), Midlands-North-West
• Chris MacManus (Sinn Féin/GUE/NGL), Midlands-North-West
• Colm Markey (Fine Gael/EPP), Midlands-North-West
• Maria Walsh (Fine Gael/EPP), Midlands-North-West
• Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael/EPP), South
• Billy Kelleher (Fianna Fáil/Renew Europe), South
• Seán Kelly (Fine Gael, EPP), South
• Grace O’Sullivan (Green Party/European Free Alliance), South
• Mick Wallace (Independents for change/GUE/NGL), South