De Rossa to quit as MEP
Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa is to step down as a Member of the European Parliament next month.
Mr De Rossa was first elected to the Dáil in 1982 and served as Minister for Social Welfare between 1994 and 1997, before being elected to the European Parliament in 1999.
He gave no reason for his decision to resign from his post but issued a statement in which he thanked those with whom he had worked.