Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 June 2004
79 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the recent interactions he or his Department has had with Franz Fischler, EU Commissioner, on the subject of rural development. [16835/04]
View answerI met Commissioner Fischler during his visits to Ireland in July 2003 and also at the Salzburg conference on rural development in November 2003. I explained the urgent need to ensure that rural support mechanisms are strengthened to protect the future of farmers unable to make a viable living for their families from farming alone.
At the January 2004 meeting, the start of the Irish Presidency of the EU, I met Commissioner Fischler to outline the priorities of my Department during the Presidency. I emphasised again the need for the Commission proposals concerning a new rural development instrument to provide measures to secure the futures of not only the vital farming sector but also of the wide rural economy which would include both farm and non-farm activity. I cited the CLÁR programme as an example of a practical initiative of how small amounts of national funds strategically applied can lever significant amounts of local matching finance and provide vital local services and amenities.
Subsequently, officials of my Department, together with officials from the Department of Agriculture and Food, met the Cabinet of Commissioner Fischler last March. The head of rural development policy in Commissioner Fischler's Cabinet confirmed that community based rural development measures would feature prominently in the new instrument.
This week I met the deputy director of DG Agri of the European Commission at the EU Presidency rural development conference which I hosted in Westport. The Commission representative confirmed that, as community based rural development programmes such as Leader performed well in the past, such partnership based rural initiatives would be important to the next generation of rural measures. Details of this instrument is expected to be published in July. In addition, the new rural development instrument will have, as one of its three key objectives, the development of the wider rural economy.
