Michael McNamara Delivers on Pledge to Enact EU-wide “Nudifier” Ban in AI Omnibus

This week, the European Parliament has voted by a broad majority to introduce a ban on AI “nudifier” tools, proposed by Independent MEP Michael McNamara.

The ban, which will come into effect on 2 December of this year, will outlaw AI systems designed to generate fake nude or intimate images of real people without their consent, closing what McNamara identified as a major gap in existing laws.

“Recent controversies involving AI systems, demonstrated there was no clear prohibition on the technology which was being used to generate highly realistic fake nude images of real people, of which the overwhelming majority of victims were women and girls. I pledged to change that when I was appointed as a Rapporteur in the Parliament. Following negotiations with the Council, the passing of this legislation will ensure that this abuse will no longer be allowed.”

The updated rules also extend compliance deadlines for certain high-risk AI systems, giving businesses and public authorities additional time to prepare while maintaining key safeguards.

“Irish companies and SMEs, particularly in the tech and manufacturing sectors, needed certainty. They couldn’t comply with rules when the technical standards hadn’t even been written yet. We’ve fixed that, without removing the protections that make this legislation worth having.”

McNamara said the final agreement strikes a practical balance between encouraging innovation and protecting citizens from harmful uses of artificial intelligence.

“As the capabilities of AI continue to expand at a startling rate, so too does the potential for both good and harm. It is our responsibility to ensure that these technologies are developed and deployed in a way that respects people’s rights and dignity.”

AI and GDPR Guidelines

A recent study by ETH Zurich and Anthropic revealed that AI can be used to identify pseudonymous online users at scale.

I questioned the EDPB on it’s implications and the upcoming European GDPR guidelines and how they will be implemented across the member states.

EU Gambling Tax

A proposed EU gambling tax is not a bad idea. The growing gambling industry, increasingly transnational, is dangerous and destructive to our societies and should be taxed heavily due to the damage it causes.

McNamara MEP Calls for Action on Drug Debt Intimidation

Speaking in the European Parliament’s plenary debate on the rights and protection of victims of crime, Independent MEP from Clare, Michael McNamara, called for urgent action at national and European level to support victims of drug debt intimidation, a growing crisis he described as affecting young people across Ireland and, increasingly, across the EU.

MEP McNamara drew attention to the particular vulnerability of young people caught in cycles of drug debt, noting that victims are routinely threatened not to approach police and they comply because they do not believe they will receive protection. He described this pattern as increasingly prevalent right across the Ireland South constituency, is no longer confined to cities and argued it cannot be unique to Ireland as drug use rises across the European Union.

Speaking in the Chamber, McNamara highlighted: “These are often young people who are afraid to seek help. They are told: don’t go to the gardaí. And they don’t, because they don’t believe they will receive protection. We need to find a way instil confidence in people that they will receive protection.”

The scale of the problem at home is stark. Ireland’s first national data report on drug-related intimidation, published this year by D.R.I.V.E. (Drug Related Intimidation & Violence Engagement) and the Health Research Board, recorded over 1000 cases across every county of the State in 2024-2025. Almost two-thirds of victims were living with family members and over one-third of those cases were actively experiencing intimidation at the time they sought help. Drug-related debt was present in over two-thirds of cases, ranging from under €100 to more than €20,000. Nearly three in ten victims endured intimidation for more than a year, and in over a third of cases no support was offered to the individual despite their disclosure.

Responding to this report, McNamara stated: These figures should be a wake-up call for the Government. Over a thousand cases recorded in a single year and that is only what has been disclosed. Behind every one of those cases is a family living in fear. We need properly resourced support services, we need victims to believe they will be protected if they come forward, and we need a serious political commitment to tackling this at home as well as in Europe

MEP McNamara called on the European Commission and member states to treat victims of drug debt intimidation as the victims of crime they are, ensuring access to genuine protection and meaningful support. He argued that as drug use increases across the EU, drug debt enforcement through intimidation and violence is a pan-European problem that demands a coordinated European response alongside robust action at national level.

McNamara Welcomes European Parliament Vote Referring EU–Mercosur Agreement to Court of Justice

Michael McNamara MEP (Ireland / Independent) has welcomed today’s vote in the European Parliament to refer the EU–Mercosur Agreement and Interim Trade Agreement to the Court of Justice of the EU for an opinion on their compatibility with the EU Treaties.

McNamara was a co-signatory to the request for Court’s over sight and voted in favour of the resolution, which was adopted by a narrow margin. The referral suspends parliamentary consent until the Court has ruled, a process expected to take up to two years.

Commenting on the outcome, McNamara said:

“The Mercosur Agreement and Interim Trade Agreement have now been referred to the European Court to test their legality. This is a small but important victory for those who oppose the betrayal of European farmers, and for those who believe that the rule of law must prevail especially in these strange times.” McNamara has consistently raised concerns about the agreement’s legal basis, democratic accountability, and its implications for agricultural standards, environmental protections, and fair competition. He stressed that judicial scrutiny is not an obstruction, but a necessary safeguard to ensure that major international trade agreements fully comply with EU law and Treaty obligations.

McNamara Calls For Free Public Transport in Response to Energy Crisis

Ireland South MEP Michael McNamara has called for the Government to introduce free public transport across Ireland, following the IMF’s warning that “all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth worldwide” should the conflict in the Middle East continue.

“The Government’s call on households to cut fuel use is meaningless unless it concentrates on encouraging the public to use alternatives,” McNamara said. “Public transport needs to be made free for users for the next six months. This would cost up to €275 million, based on a 2023 report commissioned by the National Transport Authority (NTA) from Ernst and Young.

“It must be acknowledged that this is a significant sum of money but it is less than the amount the Government is expecting to spend on the upcoming six-month EU Presidency and is small compared to the billions of euro thrown around by the Government during the Covid era. “Making buses, trams and trains free is a relatively easy measure for the Government to implement and one that will make a difference to ordinary people, as it will result in a new focus on public transport alternatives,” McNamara concluded.

McNamara Leads Cross-Party MEP Letter to EU Foreign Policy Chief Demanding Action After Israeli Military Seizes Civilian Vessels Near Crete

Clare-based MEP Michael McNamara has today led a letter signed by Members of the European Parliament to HR/VP Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, demanding immediate intervention following the seizure by Israeli military forces of civilian vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters near Crete.

Among those unaccounted for is Irish citizen and Ennis man Martin Guilfoyle, who  is among 7 Irish citizens who were aboard one of the intercepted vessels. His whereabouts and welfare remain unknown. McNamara has also written separately to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Irish Permanent Representative to the EU and the Irish Ambassador in Tel Aviv demanding urgent consular intervention on their behalf.

The letter, backed by MEPs from various different political groups, describes the interception as a serious act of aggression by a foreign military power in European waters, hundreds of miles from Gaza, with no legal or security justification. The co-signatories are calling on Kallas to intervene at the highest diplomatic level, summon the Israeli Head of Mission to the EU, place sanctions on the table, and report urgently to the European Parliament.

McNamara said of the incident: “This is a serious act of aggression by a foreign military in European waters. EU citizens – including  Irish citizens – are unaccounted for. I am not prepared to wait while bureaucratic processes run their course. I am demanding immediate action from Kallas and the EU to act.

The Global Sumud Flotilla departed from Italy on Sunday carrying over 400 civilians from multiple countries on a humanitarian mission to Gaza. Twenty-two of its vessels were intercepted by Israeli military forces on 29 April. The interception took place approximately 600 nautical miles from Gaza which is far beyond any previous Israeli interdiction of a civilian flotilla.

McNamara added “Israel cannot continue to behave like a rogue state without consequences”

AI Omnibus puts end to ‘Nudifiers’
We reached a deal on the AI Act Omnibus. After months of intensive negotiations, I am genuinely relieved and proud of what we have achieved.

The European Union now has its first ever ban on nudification applications. AI systems that generate non-consensual intimate imagery of real people – that strip women naked without their consent, that produce child sexual abuse material, are prohibited under EU law. The European Parliament had a chance to act on a harm that is being industrialised by AI, and we took it.

We secured a stop-the-clock compliance mechanism, giving companies the additional time they need to meet their obligations. We also secured meaningful simplification measures -cutting unnecessary red tape and duplicative compliance burdens, particularly for smaller businesses and SMEs.

And this is on top of protections we fought to ensure remain firmly within the AI Act – mandatory registration of high-risk AI systems, and stronger safeguards for bias detection. These were hard-won in the original Act. We were not prepared to see them traded away in an Omnibus process, and they were not.
Department of Justice

Following criticism by the High Court of the failure to include a person on the sex offenders register after being informed by UK authorities of a relevant conviction there, I asked the Tánaiste if he had confidence in the Department of Justice and its stewardship.

Agriculture Minister non committal on reimbursing co operation area farmers for investments in 2024

Farmers in co-operation areas of ACRES making investments, such as fencing, solar pumps, culverts, hedgerow planting and rejuvenation, gates and drinking troughs, are entitled to reimbursements of a portion of their cost. In the latest blow to farmers in the Acres Scheme, however, the Minister has refused to give a commitment that approved investments carried out in 2024 will be reimbursed this year.

Direct Provision accommodation

Despite regularly citing EU and international legal obligations, the Government fails to clarify how many in direct provision are not entitled to accommodation under EU/international law and says it may not even be able to ascertain the figure.

That figure is likely to be several thousand as it includes the vast majority of those who’re waiting months and years for the Justice Minister to decide on their Leave to Remain applications (after their asylum claims is refused).

Anti-social behaviour in Ennis

The Justice Minister says there’s no link between the failure to adequately police the streets of inner city Dublin and last week’s rioting and looting. I disagree. One leads to the other. I pointed out the growth in anti-social activity in Ennis of late and called for it to be tackled by Gardaí.

University Hospital Limerick

People are afraid to go to University Hospital Limerick (UHL). Lives will be lost because of the fear but, equally, lives will be lost because that fear is justified. While celebrating being republicans this government has perpetuated huge disparity in healthcare across Ireland.

Consultation needed to lessen pressure on GP and other essential services from refugee and asylum seeker accommodation

Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara has called for ongoing consultation with communities hosting refugees and asylum seekers, in particular for the Government to outline its plans to address the increased strain placed on GP services as a result of the arrival of Ukrainian refugees and international protection applicants, citing his hometown in East Clare as an example.

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ACRES

2.8 litre diesel landcruisers while telling us to go electric…cutting farmers’ funds in environmentally designated areas while talking up the Nature Restoration Law…claiming to be personally putting money in farmers’ pockets when administering taxpayers’ funds…shameless.