Ireland has been allocated €1.2 billion of Structural Funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) for the period 2014 – 2020. To avail of these funds, the Department of Public Expenditure has devised Ireland's Partnership Agreement which was approved by Government in November 2014 and by the European Commission in December 2014. The Agreement forms the basis for Structural Funds investment in Ireland in the period to 2020.
The new ERDF regulation requires an increased focus on sustainable urban development and urban regeneration. In this regard, the regulation requires the earmarking of a minimum of 5% ERDF resources at national level to implement integrated actions for sustainable urban development. In its Partnership Agreement with the European Commission, the Government has agreed that an urban development fund in the order of €80million will be established, of which approximately €40 million will come from the ERDF, with the remaining €40 million co-funded by the Government. Local authorities will be invited to bid for this ERDF support for projects that will contribute to the social, economic and environmental development of their urban areas. The first call for proposals will be made shortly, and it will be a matter for the local authorities to put forward projects appropriate to their urban areas.
Sustainable urban development may be undertaken through Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs) or through specific operational programmes. In Ireland, operational programmes to give effect to the Partnership Agreement and to manage sustainable urban development projects to 2020, have recently been published by the Regional Assemblies following approval by the Government and by the Commission last December.
In addition to the availability of ERDF funding for urban development, a national Employability, Inclusion and Learning Operational Programme will be funded by the ESF under the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills. The programme is a key support in achieving Ireland's Europe 2020 goals in relation to employment, education and combating poverty and social exclusion in urban areas.
