Jim O'Keeffe
Question:27 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance if he will give details of the financial benefits which Ireland can expect from the EC over the next five years in the event that the Maastricht Treaty is ratified.
Written Answers. - Maastricht Treaty Benefits.
In the context of the Maastricht agreement the Commission of the European Communities has recently put forward proposals for a five-year budgetary framework (1993-97), the so-called "Delors II package". These proposals are currently being discussed in the Council of Ministers.
The extent of the financial benefits which Ireland can expect will depend on the outcome of the negotiations on the package. The increases proposed by the Commission are substantial, of course, and of major significance to Ireland. Under the Commission proposals the agricultural guideline would continue, but increased to take account of Common Agricultural Policy reform measures. In the area of the Structural Funds, the Commission has proposed that there should be an increase of two-thirds in resources made available for Objective 1 regions and that taking account of the new Cohesion Fund, there could be a doubling of the overall resources for the four countries covered by the new fund i.e. Ireland, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Furthermore, on the revenue side of the EC budget the Commission has proposed a number of changes designed to make the system more equitable.