Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 January 2013
22. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the input that members of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann will have in the process of formulating the post 2013 regional aid investment guidelines. [3194/13]
View answer48. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will outline the discussions and submissions he is having with the EU Commission regarding the regional aid guidelines post 2013. [3193/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 48 together.
The process of Member States agreeing the 2014-2021 Regional Aid Guidelines is underway and initial multilateral discussions between Member States and the Commission, which has responsibility for the Regional Aid Guidelines, have taken place.
The initiative is Commission led, and my Department is actively engaged in this process and has consulted relevant stakeholders including various Government Departments, the industrial development agencies, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Forfás, the Central Statistics Office, the Border Midland and Western Regional Assembly, the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly, and the eight Regional Authorities.
The Commission issued a non paper of its initial orientations in December 2011, which was followed by a multilateral meeting in March 2012. The Commission subsequently forwarded further proposals to Member States on 14 January 2013, documenting the structure and provisions that will form the basis of the revised Guidelines. The next multilateral meeting is scheduled to take place on 11 and 12 of February.
I met with Commissioner Almunia to discuss the issue of State Aids on the margins of the Competitiveness Council (Industry) on Monday 10 December 2012 and Minister Sherlock also raised this issue with Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn at the Competitiveness Council (Research) on Tuesday 11 December 2012. Concerns relating to the range of coverage and support for large investment projects were raised at these meetings as being items of major concern to Ireland.
In addition, my Department's officials have discussed these issues with Commission officials across a range of dossiers to ensure that Irish concerns are well known within the Commission. My officials have also met with a number of Member States (France, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom and Portugal) on these matters on the margins of the Competitiveness Council and bilaterally. Demarches are also being considered to like-minded Member States and the proposals will be discussed again at the multilateral meeting on Regional Aid scheduled to take place in Brussels on 11 and 12 February.
My Department, in conjunction with the enterprise agencies, is currently preparing a detailed submission to the Commission on the current Regional Aid proposals.
All relevant Government Departments have been briefed on this issue through the State Aid Interdepartmental Committee and briefs have issued to the relevant Minsters. All Irish MEPs and the Irish representatives on the Council of the Regions have also been briefed on this issue.
In addition to the wide consultation of stakeholders detailed above, I welcome any input from members of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann into this important process.
