Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 Oct 1997

Vol. 481 No. 7

Written Answers. - EU Funding.

Question:

181 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Finance the action, if any, he has taken on the Government's commitment in An Action Programme for the Millennium to prioritise, in negotiations for the next round of European funding, EU Structural Fund Objective 1 status for the West of Ireland, the Border regions and all other rural areas suffering from population decline; whether he will divide Ireland into regions for the purposes of negotiating future European funding; if so, the way in which this regionalisation will maximise the national interest and secure funding on the best possible terms from the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16951/97]

Enda Kenny

Enda Kenny

Enda Kenny

Question:

182 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Finance the action, if any, he proposes to take to retain Objective 1 status for the western region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17130/97]

Charlie McCreevy

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 182 together.

Negotiations for the next round of European funding are currently in the initial stages. The Commission proposals in Agenda 2000 cover, among other things, the overall budgetary projections for the Community up to the year 2006 and the share of the funding which is proposed for structural actions.

Although the Commission has suggested certain broad criteria governing future structural funding — such as eligibility, concentration and simplification of objectives — negotiations have not yet, nor will they for some time, reach the stage of decision on individual member states' share-out.

As regards eligibility for Objective I status, the Commission has proposed that, for regions like Ireland which are currently eligible under Objective 1 but which will have passed the eligibility level of per capita GDP of less than 75 per cent of EU average, appropriate transitional arrangements should apply.

While acknowledging our growing prosperity the Government has put forward and will continue to argue strongly Ireland's case for continued access to the Objective 1 funding envelope in any transitional arrangements in order to meet the substantial backlogs in infrastructural and social development which continue to exist and are even, to a degree, accentuated by our recent economic growth. The Government is particularly conscious of the needs of the less-developed parts of the country in this regard and of their commitment to these areas in An Action Plan for the Millennium.
The Government, in pursuing the best possible share-out for the country as a whole, will be seeking to ensure that the optimal outcome is obtained for all regions within the country, and that the needs of the less developed regions are fully addressed.
Top
Share