Eileen is giving young Europeans a voice

AN FG candidate for the local elections in Macroom has been elected secretary general of the largest youth political organisation in Europe.  

Aghabullogue native Eileen Lynch has been elected to the position of chief of the Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP). 

This is youth wing of the EPP, the European political grouping of which Fine Gael is a member, and which held its biannual congress in Athens in Greece last weekend. Eileen (28) is a trainee solicitor in O’Flynn Exhams in Cork city and has been active in local and national politics with Fine Gael since 2008. 

As secretary general of YEPP, she is one of the leaders of the organisation which claims up to 1m members across Europe.

Eileen said: ‘It is vital that we provide a voice for young Europeans, so many young people are disillusioned and disenfranchised with politics and we need to change this. We need to engage more, and listen to the issues which are affecting young people. We need to talk to people rather than at them. We need to provide, real tangible solutions.

‘In light of the ongoing Brexit negotiations, it is vital that Ireland would have a voice at the top of the largest youth political organisation in Europe,’ she said.  Former board members of YEPP include Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Lucinda Creighton.