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
Barry is a full member of the Committee on Development, which deals with development and humanitarian aid. He has worked on topics such as food security, humanitarian demining, promoting human rights in extractive industries, migration and asylum policy, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and heading 6 of the EU budget.
His priorities have been to tackle violations of indigenous and human rights around the globe, tackle climate change at the international level, fight against aid diversion and highlight the need to respect humanitarian principles when it comes to delivering lifesaving aid in conflicts, such as the Israel-Hamas war, Ukraine war, Sudan and Afghanistan conflicts.
In 2023, he was rapporteur (penholder) on a report dealing with extractive industries (forthcoming). This report highlights the need to gain the consent of local communities before setting up projects to obtain raw materials in developing countries. It proposes improvements to the EU’s governance of its Critical Raw Materials Act and Conflict Minerals legislation, such as a new Code of Conduct, to ensure greater transparency and accountability. It also proposes solutions to ensure that developing countries reap the benefits of their resources.
In 2022, Barry was rapporteur on a report assessing the EU’s implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals – an initiative of the SDG Alliance, which he chairs. This report was critical of the EU’s weak role in promoting the SDGs since they were agreed upon, calling for an EU strategy to implement the SDGs and for the EU to present a review of its progress at the UN. The European Commission took this suggestion seriously and presented the first EU Voluntary Review at the High-Level Political Forum in July.
Committee on International Trade
Barry is a full member of the Committee on International Trade, which is responsible for establishing, implementing and monitoring the EU’s trade policy. It mainly deals with financial, economic and trade relations with third countries (such as the UK, US, Canada, and Mexico) and the conclusion of free trade agreements and relations with the World Trade Organisation.
Barry has worked on various topics throughout the mandate but always with a specific focus on the links between human rights and business or the nexus between international trade and economic development. His most significant contribution to the international trade committee has been his work on the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), where he was one of the leading negotiators and the rapporteur / penholder for INTA. This piece of legislation will require companies of a certain size to conduct mandatory due diligence in their supply chains, ensuring no adverse impacts on the environment or on human rights.
Barry has further worked on a number of different reports, such as a European Strategy for Critical Raw Materials, Sustainable Corporate Governance and the 2022 Implementation Report on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Founding member of the Brussels-Belfast Forum with members of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Since his 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 Northern Ireland representation in Brussels due to its specific position under the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework. He has hosted 3 Roundtables where Members of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland have been 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 was created in 2021 to ensure coordination between the European Commission and the European Parliament on all EU-UK-related issues. This is a select group with less than 30 members representing each of the political groups and a number of 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. The most recent PPA focused on energy security issues and the continuing cooperation between the EU and the UK in helping Ukraine.
• Co-lead negotiator on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
Barry is a substitute member of the FEMM committee in the European Parliament. The committee has several responsibilities, such as promoting and protecting women’s rights in the EU and third countries. It focuses on equality between men and women with regard to labour market opportunities and treatment at work. The removal of all forms of discrimination based on sex and the further development of gender mainstreaming in all policy sectors is the responsibility of the committee. FEMM follows up on the implementation of international agreements and conventions involving the rights of women.
Several important files have been voted on in FEMM this year. Barry was a Shadow on the draft opinion ‘Reducing inequalities and promoting social inclusion in times of crisis for children and their families’. The opinion highlights the impact of the economic crisis on inequality, household structure and family model, the need to create an economic safety net for children coming from crisis and present practices for ensuring social inclusion for children and their families.