Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 1 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 1

Written Answers - EU Summits.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

212 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if, in respect of commitments made at the Lisbon Summit 2000 concerning economic reform in order to make the European Union the most competitive economic area by 2010, he will list the number of measures that have to be undertaken by his Department; the stage at which these measures are; the title and brief description of each measure; when it is expected to have the measure taken or implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11761/01]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

The aims agreed at the Lisbon European Council in so far as the agri- food sector are concerned are being pursued through the agri-food 2010 plan of action which I launched in August 2000 and the operational programmes under the national development plan which were approved by the European Commission between September and December 2000.

The agri-food 2010 plan of action sets out over 200 action points in support of the policy aims of the document. A full report on implementation and achievements during the first year of the plan will issue later this year. Under the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, total public funding of £4.2 billion is provided for a wide range of measures through five operational programmes, including two regional operational programmes. The programmes are subject to continuous review by monitoring committees. An independent mid-term review will also be carried out and published.