Simon Coveney

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Simon Coveney (Irish: Siomoin Ó Cómhanaigh; born June 16, 1972 in Cork) is an Irish politician. He is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party.

Coveney is a Teachta Dála for Cork South Central. He was first elected in the October 1998 by-election to succeed his late father Hugh Coveney, re-elected at the 2002 and 2007 general elections.

In the 2007 general election he was returned by the voters to the Dáil, and as a result stepped down as an MEP, a position he had held since being elected to represent the constituency of Ireland South in the 2004 European Parliament elections, as the 2007 elections brought the end of the dual mandate. He was replaced in the European Parliament by Colm Burke.

During the three years he spent as an MEP, he held the position of human rights coordinator for the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP-ED) the European People's Party and twice authored the Parliament's Annual Report on Human Rights in the World. He also spearheaded the Stop the Traffik campaign at the European Parliament. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Delegation for Relations with the USA and a substitute on the Human Rights Subcommittee, Fisheries Committee, Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and the Delegation for Relations with Iran.

[edit] See also

• Families in the Oireachtas

[edit] External links

• Coveney's position on the "software patents" directive, before the 2005 second reading
• Personal site
• Simon Coveney's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)
• Coveney authored reports on Human Rights in the World

[edit] Political career

Oireachtas
Preceded by Hugh Coveney	Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Cork South Central 1998 – present	Incumbent
European Parliament
Preceded by Newly created constituency	Member of the European Parliament for South 2004–2007	Succeeded by Colm Burke

v • d • e « 1999–2004 «   Members of the European Parliament for Ireland (2004–2009)   » 2009–2014 » Dublin Proinsias De Rossa (LAB / PES) • Mary Lou McDonald (SF / EUL–NGL) • Gay Mitchell (FG / EPP–ED) • Eoin Ryan (FF / UEN) East Liam Aylward (FF / UEN) • Avril Doyle (FG / EPP–ED) • Mairead McGuinness (FG / EPP–ED) • North-West Marian Harkin (IND / ALDE) • Jim Higgins (FG / EPP–ED) • Seán Ó Neachtain (FF / UEN) South †Simon Coveney (FG / EPP–ED) • Brian Crowley (FF / UEN) • Kathy Sinnott (IND / IND/DEM) †Substituted by Colm Burke (FG / EPP–ED) • in June 2007.