Irish farmer and civil society activist Séamus Boland has been elected as president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the first Irish president of an EU plenary body since Pat Cox was elected president of the European Parliament in 2002.
Mr Boland, a farmer from Ballycumber, Co Offaly, was elected the 35th president of the EESC by the 329 member chamber in Brussels this morning.
The EESC is a consultative body within the EU, created in 1958 to give a platform to civil society, trade unions, employers and farming groups in shaping EU legislation.
The body assesses new EU laws from the viewpoints of its constituent parts and then advises the European Commission and the parliament on key aspects.
"The European Commission refers all important legislation to our committee to be considered, which we return in the form of an opinion," Mr Boland told RTÉ News.
"That opinion, which has to be agreed by the three sections of the committee, which can be difficult, should influence (the commission and parliament). They're obliged to take it seriously, so we have a direct influence on the more important legislation that goes through the various parts of the EU institutions."
Mr Boland said: "With so many instabilities impacting Europe, it is key that the EU embraces change.
"The EESC should play an essential role in shaping that change and in building this new Europe, which is prepared, resilient and self-reliant. This is why, during my mandate as President, I will prioritise a people-centred work programme that puts civil society at the heart of the EU.
"My vision is of an EU of opportunities, security and resilience, that together we can help deliver."
Mr Boland said a key focus will be housing, a topic the EU is now addressing directly, despite having limited competencies.
The European Commission president has promised to launch a housing summit, and the issue will be discussed by EU leaders at their summit meeting in Brussels tomorrow.
After his election, Mr Boland met the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, who represents 27 EU leaders, on the housing issue.
In a statement following the meeting, Mr Costa said: "Housing affordability and accessibility are among the most urgent concerns of Europeans. We are all aware that the European Union is facing an exceptionally challenging geopolitical landscape.
"However, it is equally essential that we also address the daily concerns of European citizens.
"The housing crisis has a dangerous triple impact: it affects the fundamental rights of citizens, negatively impacts competitiveness, and undermines trust in our democratic institutions."
Mr Boland told RTÉ News: "There are millions (of) young Europeans, I'm talking up to the age of 40, who may not ever have access to a house, even a social, affordable house.
"That means there's an emergency. Governments and the EU can pretend that there isn't one, and they should treat the issue as they (did the) Covid emergency.
"They should start changing the way we do business and begin to suspend what isn't working."
He added: "If you're in a 20 or 30 something and you're not going anywhere, you are fertile ground for the ideologists, the people who spread fake news. Even though you don't believe half of what they're saying, you almost do, so as to give the powers that be a kicking."
Mr Boland left school at 12 to work on the family farm and has been CEO of Irish Rural Link since 2001, Chair of the Peatlands Council since 2012 and a board member of Inland Fisheries Ireland (2018-2022).
In October 2024, he was appointed to the Just Transition Commission as an independent expert by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications in Ireland.
He has worked in civil society for over 40 years, including with young people, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and people living in rural isolation.
Mr Boland is married to Geraldine Boland and has three children and three grandchildren.
