Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 12 Apr 1994

Vol. 441 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Recognition of Maritime Boundaries.

Mrs. Doyle

Thank you for allowing Deputy Byrne and me to raise this matter this evening. At a recent seminar in County Wexford there was considerable discussion about new moves on interregional co-operation between Wexford and south-west Wales. This seminar was sponsored jointly by Wexford County Council, Dyfed County Council, Preseli-Pembrokeshire District Council and South Pembrokeshire District Council. State, semi-State, local authority and many commercial organisations and community groups were represented at the seminar at very senior level.

At the top of the agenda was a discussion on how to ensure that the south east of Ireland and south west Wales would benefit from EU funding for cross Border initiatives. INTERREG II is about to come on stream and proposals under this EU funded scheme include provision for the extension of cross border initiatives to maritime borders, including those of Ireland and Wales. The seminar emphasised the necessity to develop the southern corridor crossings. Considerable investment is needed in infrastructure which service Welsh ports and the development of the roads out of these ports which eventually service motorways. The southern corridor crossings — the sea routes between Cork and Rosslare and the west Wales ports of Swansea, Fishguard and Pembroke — are of immeasurable importance to the economy of the south east and of south west Wales.

However, in spite of their importance being recognised in the national plan, they were not included in the recently published draft of INTERREG II EU proposals. There is, therefore, a distinct danger that the development of Rosslare, and the ports in south west Wales may fall behind development of other ports here and in Britain. This would have severe consequences for the development of the infrastructural needs including the road and rail service to the ports.

A final decision will be announced before the end of May as to what regions and projects will be eligible for EU funding. Those at the seminar were determined that no stone would be left unturned in convincing the EC Commission, the committee of the regions, MEPs and Deputies in this House of the importance of the case for south west Wales and Wexford. Apart from EU funding, those at the seminar were determined to work together to establish closer links with south west Wales and south east Ireland.

Will the Minister tonight assure us in Wexford that we have the full support of the Government to include the maritime link between Wexford and south west Wales as part of our case for INTERREG II funding? We want to be sure the Government supports our endeavours to develop this most important area that will be the only land bridge between Ireland and the rest of Europe. We await the Minister's positive response to our call.

Mr. Byrne

Deputy Avril Doyle and I raise this matter out of growing concern that Dyfed in Wales and Wexford may not be included in the next round of INTERREG funding. The fact that only in exceptional cases will maritime boundaries be accepted as proper boundaries underlines the land-locked attitude of Brussels. It is a pity that EU bureaucracy is not orientated towards the peripheral or coastal regions of the Community. Wexford and south Wales have links that are at least as meangingful as any links Wexford may have with the west. Wexford has always looked across the seas for her commerce. Until modern times oral language of south Wexford was living proof of the European identity of the area. To exclude Wexford and Dyfed from the scheme would be to make a travesty of its supposed aims. No two regions in Europe have been so intimately linked for so long. Many of my neighbours work in Wales and the rich Welsh lilt can be heard in many parts of Ireland, including Wexford.

INTERREG is supposed to foster economic links between the regions. Specific projects have been suggested by Wexford and Dyfed County Councils and by the Welsh Office. Chief among these projects are the development of information technologies for small and medium-sized businesses telecottaging and manufactured woollens. Such projects are tailormade for populations that are largely rural and well educated. Wexford and Dyfed deserve to be included in the INTERREG scheme. With Deputy Doyle I ask the Government to pursue Wexford's inclusion in the scheme as a matter of priority.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Ms E. Fitzgerald)

INTERREG is a Community initiative under the EU Structural Funds. Its objective is to promote cross-border co-operation and support the economic development of border areas. During the last Structural Fund round, there was a joint Ireland/Northern Ireland programme under INTERREG. The eligible areas comprised Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo in the south and all of Northern Ireland except Belfast. All of the border areas in the community covered by the first INTERREG initiative were land border areas with the exceptions of Kent/Nord-Pas de Calais and Corsica/Sardinia.

In June 1993, the European Commission published a consultative document on community initiatives in the new Structural Fund round covering the period 1994-1999. In that document the Commission said that it would prefer to maintain the general rule that maritime borders do not qualify, while being prepared to examine specific cases, especially where this would be of benefit to Objective I regions, to determine whether genuine cross-border co-operation possibilities exist.

In putting forward its views on the consultative document, the Government said that access to the Community through the west coast UK ports was of vital strategic importance to Ireland and that a maritime INTERREG programme for Ireland and the UK was considered essential to eliminate infrastructural bottlenecks. The Government also said that within the context of such a programme other co-operative measures could be covered.

In February 1994 the Commission produced its proposals for Community initiatives to cover the period 1994-1999. In the case of INTERREG, it proposed that in addition to the maritime border areas covered under the previous initiative, the borders between southern Italy and Greece and between Ireland and North Wales should also be eligible.

The draft guidelines for the new INTERREG initiative included — as well as the North/South Border area as before — Gwynedd in Wales and the east region in Ireland. The Commission have been using the old planning regions for the purposes of defining NUTS III level regions, so east in that context covers Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. This area corresponds with the Dublin and mid-east regions for the new regional authorities which were established earlier this year.

The Commission's proposals will now be considered by the management committee on Community initiatives comprising representatives of the member states. They will also be considered by the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions. Following this consultation process, the Commission will adopt the final guidelines for initiatives. It is understood that it hopes to do this in June.

The Irish authorities will press strongly for the extension of the eligible areas under INTERREG to include the southeast, including County Wexford, and the county of Dyfed in Wales. We have been in touch with the Welsh Office in the United Kingdom and understand they will be taking the same position. We consider the case for this to be strong having regard to the importance of the transport links between the two regions and to the co-operative linkages that have been built up between local authorities and other groups on each side. Ultimately, it will be primarily a matter for the Commission to decide on this issue but we will do all we can to secure a favourable outcome.

Work is already under way between Departments in Ireland and Wales on the preparation of a programme. I met Sir Wyn Roberts, MP, Minister of State at the Welsh Office, in December for discussions on a joint programme and we are arranging a further meeting in the near future.