Sinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson with her Irish diplomatic passport
Sinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson has become the first MEP from the North to hold an Irish diplomatic passport.
She said the newly-acquired travel document would help her represent the community at the European Parliament.
She said as an Irish republican she was proud to hold an Irish passport and as a public representative had applied for a diplomatic passport to assist her in her work as an MEP.
She added: “In my role as a Sinn Féin MEP I have to travel on a regular basis to represent all of my constituents at the European Parliament.
“That involves travelling to the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg as well as travelling to other locations on parliament business.
“In particular, as chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the Palestinian Legislative Council, I have to travel to Palestine and Israel.
“Having an Irish diplomatic passport will make that travelling process easier by cutting down the length of time I spend going through airport security checks on a weekly basis.
“This will give me more time to devote to the job I have been elected to do, representing each and every person in the North and at the European Parliament.”
