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Lucinda Creighton: Ireland must stop treating European Parliament as consolation prize for failed or retiring TDs

With the European Elections coming up next June, FG will have its work cut out replacing the influential Frances Fitzgerald, but a sure winner would be Paschal Donohoe, if he was so inclined

Frances Fitzgerald: the Fine Gael MEP arrived in Brussels with a high profile and a positive reputation; she was quickly established as an important and influential player. Picture: Getty

The unexpected announcement by Frances Fitzgerald last week that she would not contest next June’s European Elections for the Fine Gael party in Dublin comes as a significant blow.

In her four years as a member of the European Parliament, Frances had established herself as one of the most influential Irish MEPs to serve in Brussels, becoming a full member of the important Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), ascending first to the position ...