The Fianna Fáil party has applied to join the Liberal group at the EU Parliament which supports abortion, euthanasia and destructive embryo research.Prolife groups said they are appalled at this move.
On Thursday, (April 16) the General Secretary of Fianna Fáil, Seán Dorgan was in Brussels to hand in a finalised application to the European Liberal and Democrat party (ELDR), which is politically represented in the European Parliament by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).
In July 2007 the ALDE group held a conference in Brussels promoting euthanasia, entitled, Medically assisted dying and euthanasia - a matter of human rights.
The liberal group spokesperson, Swedish MP Tina Acketoft also told the Council of Europe in April last year that she was fully in favour of the legalisation of abortion throughout Europe.
Irish pro-life group Mother and Child Campaign said they were deeply saddened by the Fianna Fáil switch to group the Liberal group.
Declan Ganley, leader of the Libertas Party, who is running in the North West constituency for the European elections demanded that "Fianna Fail explain to the voters why it has joined a European party committed to supporting abortion and euthanasia."
Commenting on the Fianna Fáil decision to join the ALDE in the EU Parliament, Mr Ganley said: "How can Fianna Fáil claim to represent the people of Ireland in Europe when they have thrown their full support behind a party that pushes these crazy fringe policies?
"The Liberals are in favour of destructive research on human embryos, they have supported a policy that would see older people choose to die rather than receive treatment, they have supported positions and motions that seek to attack the Irish position on abortion."
In the North West constituency, independent MEP Marian Harkin is already a member of the ALDE group, and this latest move will see any future Fianna Fáil MEP joining the same group.
The president of the European Liberals, Annemie Neyts while launching their manifesto last week said “We are happy that an important party like Fianna Fáil has found us sufficiently attractive to join us,”
The 15 point manifesto of the Liberal group also calls for "an ambitious reform of the common agricultural policy" (CAP - which subsidises farmers) and a continuing reduction of the CAP budget post-2013. She also said that on ethical issues, in the past, the party had allowed MEPs to follow their own conscience.
But not all Fianna Fáil MEPs are happy about this move. Munster MEP Brian Crowley said that aligning the party's four MEPs to the European Liberals could weaken their ability to deliver policy at a European level.
The agreement to join the liberal group in the European Parliament was made following talks with Taoiseach Brian Cowen and European Affairs Minister, Dick Roche.
The number of parties belonging to the ELDR now stands at 58 with the inclusion of two new observer members: Spanish Centro Democratico Liberal (CDL) and Slovakian Free Forum.
The Liberal ALDE is the third largest grouping in the European parliament.
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