My Work In The European Parliament
Barry’s work in the European Parliament since 2020 includes membership in many high-profile committees, including:
Committee on International Development
Since 2024, Barry has held the position of Chair of the Committee on Development, having been a full member of the committee since 2020. The committee focuses on development and humanitarian aid. Barry has worked on key issues such as food security, public health emergencies, human rights in extractive industries, migration and asylum policy, the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Heading 6 of the EU budget.
Barry’s priorities include addressing human rights violations, particularly in fragile contexts, and tackling climate change on an international scale. He is committed to addressing aid diversion and ensuring that humanitarian principles are upheld when delivering lifesaving assistance in conflict situations, such as the Israel-Hamas war, the war in Ukraine, and the crises in Sudan and Afghanistan.
Committed to addressing global challenges, Barry oversees the implementation of the “Global Gateway” project, ensuring it upholds human and environmental rights while advancing the SDGs. He is also dedicated to keeping the EU’s development aid policy focused on the world’s most vulnerable communities.
During the last mandate, Barry led a report on extractive industries, highlighting the need for local consent in raw material projects in developing countries and stronger governance of the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act and Conflict Minerals legislation. As chair of the SDG Alliance group, he also authored a report assessing the EU’s weak implementation of the SDGs. As a result, the European Commission presented the first EU Voluntary Review at the High-Level Political Forum in July 2022.
As Chair of the Committee on Development, Barry holds the position of co-chair of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group. This group supports the EU’s international efforts to promote parliamentary democracy and human rights in non-EU countries. In his capacity as co-chair, Barry is involved in election observation, parliamentary support and capacity building, human rights action as well as mediation and dialogue support.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Barry is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy, which is responsible for industrial, research, space, defence, and energy policies. It mainly deals with policies relating to SMEs, new technologies, research and development, energy security and energy efficiency.
Barry is committed to unlocking Ireland’s potential to be an exporter of wind energy. Much of his work on ITRE focuses on wind farms and the electricity grid, specifically developing a European ‘supergrid’, which would provide the continent with a cheap, clean, and secure supply of energy.
Work on EU-UK Relations
Since his initial election in 2019, Barry has consistently sought to represent the voice of Northern Ireland in Brussels. Barry has been among the loudest voices calling for increased representation for Northern Ireland at the EU due to its specific position under the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework. During the last mandate, he hosted three roundtables where Members of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland were invited to Brussels to share their views with MEPs, the European Commission and a wide range of other stakeholders.
In addition, Barry is a member of two separate European Parliament delegations to the UK.
The UK Contact Group ensures coordination between the European Commission and the European Parliament on all EU-UK-related issues. This is a select group with fewer than 30 members representing each of the political groups and the Chairs of relevant committees.
Second, the European Parliament’s Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA). This is a wider group of MEPs who meet with their House of Commons and House of Lords counterparts twice a year to discuss ongoing EU-UK relations. Barry is particularly focused on EU-UK energy relations and the energy chapter of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Delegation for Relations with Palestine
Barry is the Vice Chair of the Delegation for relations with Palestine which monitors the EU's policies towards Palestine and the EU's actions promoting the Middle East Peace Process and the establishment of the two state-solution. Barry is particularly focused on the delivery of aid and the maintenance of regional stability in the West Bank and Gaza.
He is a vocal advocate for the EU to uphold its legal obligations following the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, which declared Israel’s occupation illegal, and calls for Ireland to take steps to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Subcommittee for Human Rights
Barry is a substitute member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights. The subcommittee is responsible for monitoring and addressing human rights issues both within the EU and in third countries. It oversees the respect for human rights in the EU's external policies and actions, ensuring they are in line with the EU’s human rights obligations and international human rights law, and focuses on the protection of fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, and democratic principles.
Barry was Shadow Rapporteur on the 2024 annual report on “Human rights and democracy in the world and the EU’s policy on the matter”. The report focuses on a range of horizontal topics including challenges to democracy and human rights; strengthening the EU’s toolbox for the protection of human rights and democracy; and responding to human rights and democracy challenges.