Mairead McGuinness | |
|---|---|
 McGuinness in 2024 | |
| European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union | |
| In office 12 October 2020 – 30 November 2024 | |
| Commission | Von der Leyen I |
| Preceded by | Valdis Dombrovskis |
| Succeeded by | Maria Luís Albuquerque |
| First Vice-President of the European Parliament | |
| In office 18 January 2017 – 12 October 2020 | |
| President | Antonio Tajani David Sassoli |
| Preceded by | Antonio Tajani |
| Succeeded by | Roberta Metsola |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 1 July 2014 – 12 October 2020 | |
| Constituency | Midlands–North-West |
| In office 1 July 2004 – 1 July 2014 | |
| Constituency | East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1959-06-13)13 June 1959 (age 66) Drogheda,County Louth, Ireland |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Other political affiliations | European People's Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University College Dublin |
| Website | Official website |
Mairead McGuinness (born 13 June 1959) is anIrish politician who served as theEuropean Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union from October 2020 to November 2024. A member ofFine Gael, she previously served asFirst Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2017 to 2020. She served as aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) forEast from 2004 to 2014 and forMidlands–North-West from 2014 to 2020.[1] In theEuropean Parliament, she sat with theEuropean People's Party (EPP).[2][3] She was selected asFine Gael's nominee for the2025 Irish presidential election after being nominated unopposed[4] but she withdrew from the race following medical advice after a hospital stay.[5]
Originally fromArdee inCounty Louth, McGuinness was the first female graduate ofUniversity College Dublin'sBachelor of Science degree inAgricultural economics in 1980.[6] In 1984, she completed a diploma in accounting and finance and followed a career in the media before entering politics in 2004.[2] She worked as a researcher onThe Late Late Show, as a presenter onRTÉ'sEar to the Ground andCelebrity Farm,[7] a journalist with theIrish Farmers Journal and editor of theIrish Independent's agricultural supplement.[2]
In 2014, McGuinness was awarded UCD Alumnus of the Year for Agriculture and Food Science.[8]
In early 2004, McGuinness declared her intention to seek a nomination for theEuropean Parliament election for Fine Gael, following speculation linking her to running for theProgressive Democrats.[9] At the selection convention in February 2004, she was selected to run alongsideAvril Doyle. This proved controversial,[10] as Fine Gael insiders believed they could win only one of the three seats in theEast constituency.[11] However, a stronger than expected performance from Fine Gael in the election saw both women being elected.[10]
During her time in parliament, McGuinness served on several European Parliament committees, including theCommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand. She was a substitute member of theCommittee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, theCommittee on Petitions and the delegation for relations withChina.[citation needed]
McGuiness was a Fine Gael candidate for theLouth constituency at the2007 general election, but was not elected.[12] She was re-elected on the first count at the2009 European election, topping the poll with 25.7% of the first preference votes.[12]
In April 2011, McGuinness announced that she wished to run forPresident of Ireland and would seek the Fine Gael party nomination for the2011 presidential election.[13]During the campaign, McGuinness refused to reveal her MEP expense and allowance claims.[14]In July 2011, she was defeated for the nomination byGay Mitchell.[15]
At the2014 European election, she was re-elected to the European Parliament for the newMidlands–North-West constituency.[citation needed]
In July 2014, McGuinness was electedVice-President of the European Parliament;[16] she secured an absolute majority to go through in the first round of voting by secret ballot.[17] Under the leadership of PresidentMartin Schulz, she oversaw the parliament's information policy, press and citizens relations. In addition, she served as chairwoman of the Working Group on Information and Communication Policy and as co-chair of the Inter-Institutional Group on Communication.[18]
In addition to her committee assignments and duties as vice-president, McGuinness was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals[19] and the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights.[20] AlongsideKarin Kadenbach, she also co-chaired the MEP Heart Group, a group of parliamentarians who have an interest in promoting measures that will help reduce the burden ofcardiovascular diseases (CVD).[21] In November 2016, One Voice For Languages[22] welcomed McGuinness as their patron.[23]
Also in November 2016, McGuinness officially announced her candidacy for the office ofPresident of the European Parliament.[24] Instead, Italian MEP and formerEuropean CommissionerAntonio Tajani was elected as the EPP group's nominee to replace incumbent presidentMartin Schulz; McGuinness received the second highest number of votes.[25] Ahead of the2019 European elections, she announced to run again for the post and was re-elected, exceeding the quota on the first count.[26][27]
Following the 2019 elections, McGuiness was part of a cross-party working group in charge of drafting the European Parliament's four-year work program on digitization.[28]
McGuinness was one of two people, along withAndrew McDowell, who theIrish government nominated on 4 September 2020 for one position on theEuropean Commission to replacePhil Hogan.[29] On 8 September 2020, McGuinness was proposed byEuropean CommissionpresidentUrsula von der Leyen as the newCommissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.[30] On 7 October 2020, she was confirmed to the post by a vote of 583–75 with 37 abstentions.[31]
In November 2023, McGuinness announced she would not contest the2024 European Parliament elections.[32]
On 15 July 2025,Fine Gael confirmed McGuinness was the party's sole nominee for the2025 Irish presidential election and was selected unopposed. She was to be ratified at a party event in September.[33]
On 14 August 2025, she withdrew from the presidential race based on medical advice.[34]
In 2020,Politico quoted an unnamedEuropean People's Party official in describing McGuinness as "more conservative than what she seems to be. Her conservatism stems from her strongCatholic faith, her defence of family values and attachment to traditionalChristian democratic values", while another EPP official described her as a "Christian democrat with a social conscience".[37][38] The same Politico article noted that McGuinness had pushed for the expulsion ofViktor Orbán'sFidesz party from the EPP in 2019.[37]
In May 2018, following several weeks in which she avoided publicly stating her stance, McGuinness announced she would be supporting the Yes vote in the2018 referendum to legalise abortion in Ireland. TheIrish Independent described McGuinness as one of the last members of Fine Gael to clarify their position on the matter.[39] McGuinness stated: "I listened carefully to the debate on the constitutional amendment. Like many undecided voters, I have taken time to reflect on the many different voices and to discuss this important issue with family, friends and constituents. While some of the public debate has been divisive and acrimonious, I have found my discussions deep and searching, with a desire by voters to do what they believe is the right thing for pregnant women and their babies, and the wider societal issues around abortion. People are genuinely torn on the issue".[39]
In 2019, McGuinness authored a report that proposed more direct meetings between religious associations and the European Parliament’s rapporteurs. The proposal was shelved after a group of MEPs complained that it would create "a highly undesirable and untransparent privileged lobby channel for religious organisations".[40][41]
McGuinness is married to Tom Duff, a sheep farmer. The couple have four children.[42]
McGuinness and her husband own two investment properties in Co. Meath, purchased in 2014 and 2016.[43][44]
Even the most optimistic party insiders concede that there is, at most, one Fine Gael seat in the constituency.
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| Preceded by | Irish European Commissioner 2020–2024 | Succeeded by |
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