Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion spoke at a Parliamentary Partnership Assembly meeting in Brussels between the European Parliament and Westminster members.

Funchion called for observer status MEPs to be allocated to Northern Ireland. She addressed British Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič during an exchange of views.

People in Northern Ireland face a democratic deficit from EU rules that affect them without representation, Funchion stated. She said residents deserve a voice at the EU table through observer status MEPs. Sinn Féin has proposed this solution multiple times before, and she urged the Irish and British governments to consider it seriously.

In separate remarks at the assembly, Funchion stressed that workers' rights must not be reduced. She welcomed discussions on economic security and the cost-of-living crisis impacting workers and families in Ireland and the EU.

Funchion warned against deregulation that could undermine EU standards. She supported cutting unnecessary administrative burdens but said this cannot compromise workers' conditions. As a former trade unionist, she credited the EU with improving worker conditions.