I spoke in favour of Senator Lynn Ruane and Senator Fintan Warfield's bill to lower the voting age to 16 for local and European Parliament elections. The evidence behind this bill is clear. It is not just that 16 year olds need the opportunity to meaningfully engage with their communities, it is also crucial that young people help to shape the future of their communities and Europe. It is very disappointing that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have blocked this bill for another nine months; meaning that it is likely that many young people will not have the opportunity to vote in the highly important European Parliament elections of 2019.
"The real issue here is not about Canada and it is not about Wallonia, it is about the stubborn refusal, particularly by the European Commission, to acknowledge that the inclusion of special investor courts in international trade agreements is simply not appropriate or acceptable."
Senator Higgins was re-elected to Seanad Éireann on the NUI panel.