Proinsias de Rossa

Proinsias De Rossa, MEP

Proinsias De Rossa (born 15 May 1940, Dublin) is an Irish MEP from Labour Party. He is a member of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament.

Record of Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests

Proinsias De Rossa states in his Declaration of Financial Interests that he has nothing to declare.

Record of Parliamentary Votes

• Proinsias De Rossa voted against the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions. He stated that "[the Commission, Council and the Member states] were over influenced by Microsoft" and "adopting an unbalanced approach ... would have favoured Big Business."

• He was the only Irish MEP to vote in favour of the Data Retention Directive (the report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the retention of data processed in connection with the provision of public electronic communication services and amending Directive 2002/58/EC), passed in November 2005.

• To the anger of many Irish people, he voted for the Lisbon Reform Treaty, and against the motion ‘The European Parliament undertakes to respect the outcome of the referendum in Ireland,’ on the grounds that "The Lisbon Reform Treaty provides a legally binding Charter of Fundamental Rights which places new obligations on the European Union to resepct the rights of European citizens." "Irish citizens ... need assurances that the misleading claims on Lisbon by the 'no' camp on the Commission, on abortion, on conscription, on military neutrality, on workers' rights and public services have no basis in fact."

Affiliations

• Vice-Chairman, Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council
• Member, Committee on Petitions
• Member, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
• Substitute, Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• Leader, Democratic Left Party (1992-2002).
• President, Irish Labour Party (2002-2004).
• Vice-President, Party of European Socialists (1999-2004).
• Member of Irish Parliament (1982-2002).
• Minister for Social Welfare (1994-1997).
• Member of the European Constitutional Convention (2002-2003).
• Member of the European Parliament (1989-1992 and since 1999).
• Vice-Chairman, Committee on Petitions (1999-2004).
• Member of Trade Union Coordination Intergroup.
• Member of Disability Intergroup.
• Member of ATD Fourth World Intergroup.

Contact

Address:

Bât. Altiero Spinelli

12G146

60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60

B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel

Phone:

+32 (0)2 28 45681

Email:

proinsias.derossa@europarl.europa.eu

Website:

http://www.derossa.com

References

• European Parliament, Daily Notebook on Patentability of computerised inventions, 24 September 2003, accessed 26 January 2009.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Proinsias De Rossa, accessed 22 January 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Proinsias De Rossa, accessed 26 January 2009.
• European Parliament, MEPs debate on Climate change, economic crisis and Lisbon Treaty, 03 December 2008, accessed 26 January 2009.
• European Parliament, Minutes on Data Retention, accessed 26 January 2009.
• Indymedia Ireland, "European Parliament insult to Ireland," 20 February 2008, accessed 26 January 2009.
• Labour Europe, "Proinsias De Rossa explains why he is voting Yes," 10 June 2008, accessed 26 January 2009.
• Proinsias De Rossa, "Software Patents," 07 July 2005, accessed 26 January 2009.
• Tuppenceworth, "Data Retention: How Your MEPs Voted," 15 December 2005, accessed 26 January 2009.