Only a few weeks after our Local Elections and we are now approaching the European Parliament Elections 2019. The Human Rights Consortium has looked at the manifesto pledges and Brexit policies of the 11 candidates who have put themselves forward for election across Northern Ireland. This resource will highlight several issues related to human rights and equality across the manifestos and policies available.

With the absence of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive and ongoing disagreements continuing at Westminster Parliament regarding the Brexit process, the European Parliament Elections are a unique opportunity for Northern Ireland to have its voice amplified amid the Brexit discussions. As important facets of the Consortium’s work, this resource examines candidate plans and commitments in relation to Brexit, a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, the European Convention of Human Rights and the UK Human Rights Act. Additionally, this resource will examine candidate and party attitudes on other issues relevant to Brexit and human rights such as EU funding, equality, anti-discrimination, workers’ rights, environmental issues and climate change.

As the local elections were just a few weeks ago, and it was uncertain if the European Elections were going to go ahead, some candidates have not yet launched, or even created, new manifestos for the European Parliament Elections. The lack of clear information on the manifesto pledges of all parties is concerning as the election is fast approaching.

If a party has not released a European Election manifesto that is accessible to the public online, no information will be provided for that candidate outside of their stance on Brexit. Of course, most candidates will have views or party policies on the matters discussed in this resource but, without an accessible European Election manifesto, it was not possible to include them in this document.

Manifesto Watch – European Parliament Elections 2019