Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2014
418. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of stakeholder consultation that has taken place to date on the new Common Fisheries Policy Operational Programme 2014-2020; and the further consultation that is planned before the programme is submitted to the EU Commission in October. [27003/14]
View answerThe EU Regulation establishing the European Maritime and Fisheries, published on 20 May 2014, requires Ireland to prepare an Operational Programme in order to avail of co-financing from the Fund. Following months of intense lobbying and negotiation, I announced on 12 June 2014 that I had secured €148 million from the new Fund for the period 2014 to 2020 for the development of the Irish seafood industry and the coastal communities that depend upon it. This funding is more than double the amount that was available to Ireland during the last Common Fisheries Policy and will ensure a strong seafood industry in Ireland that can grow and expand to meet its potential up to 2020.
My Department has been working since 2013 on developing a new Operational Programme setting out the arrangements for spending Ireland’s allocation under the Fund and has engaged with stakeholders on a number of occasions to date including stakeholder meetings in November 2013 and more recently on 20 May 2014. Further public consultation and strategic environmental assessment will take place over the summer 2014. The new Operational Programme must be submitted to the European Commission for adoption before the end of 2014.
