Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen is to run in next year's European Parliament elections.
The former minister for agriculture will seek the party's backing to be a candidate in the Midlands-North-West constituency.
His Dáil constituency of Laois-Offaly was recently added to the European Parliament constituency by the Electoral Commission.
In a statement, Mr Cowan said he notified party colleagues of his intention following a special meeting of the Fianna Fáil organisation in Co Offaly last night.
"With the addition of Laois-Offaly into the Midlands-North-West constituency, I feel now is the right time for me to try and deliver for my constituency at a European level, having been a councillor for 20 years and a TD for 12 years," the statement read.
It said he would "be focused on the ongoing transition led by the EU towards sustainability across many sectors key to our success as an economy" as well as "making sure Irish views and interests are reflected in EU policies".
Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers is also seeking a party nomination to run in the same constituency, which will now be a five-seater.
Also seeking the Fianna Fáil nomination in the same constituency is Senator Niall Blaney, who was a TD for Donegal North East between 2002 and 2011.
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said party colleague Mr Cowen would be "an excellent candidate" for the European Parliament.
"Obviously we as a party would have to have a selection convention in the coming weeks and decide our electoral strategy, but he is a heavy hitter, someone with considerable experience, (and) he has name recognition throughout the entire constituency, which is an important factor in European elections," Mr McGrath said.
Additional reporting Laura Fletcher
