I propose to take Question Nos. 194, 195, 196, 197 and 213 together.
The REPowerEU plan, which was published in May of this year, sets out a range of actions that can be taken at EU and Member State level. While the REPowerEU plan provides the potential for funding via the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the European legislation necessary to provide for such funding is not expected to come into force until early next year. At that point Ireland could amend its National Recovery and Resilience Plan to include any additional funding that may be available.
At this point, it is not clear how much funding may be available to Ireland or what proportions of such funding would be grants or loans. My Department is considering potential proposals for funding under this mechanism with the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform.
To date, my Department has not received correspondence from the European Commission inviting applications for funding in relation to REPowerEU. My Department did receive a questionnaire focussing on “Gas supply: Immediate term preparedness”. In preparing a response for this questionnaire, much of the information requested was already available in my Department. Specific information was sought from relevant bodies as needed.
I would note that Ireland’s current National Recovery and Resilience Plan has been approved by the European Commission. The objective of the plan is to contribute to a sustainable, equitable, green and digital recovery effort, in a manner that complements and supports the Government’s broader recovery efforts. 42% of the plan will support climate investments and reforms.
