Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:79 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the up to date position regarding LEADER II, including the guidelines and time schedule for applications.
Written Answers. - Leader II Programme.
The draft Leader II programme was published by the European Commission last month. As there are a number of procedural steps, including the need to obtain the opinion of the European Parliament, the programme is not expected to be adopted definitively by the Commission until June. Member states will then have four months to submit their proposals to the Commission for approval.
My Department is currently studying the draft proposals which differ in some respects from Leader I. When decisions are taken on the manner in which the new programme will be implemented here, a public announcement will be made. In the meantime all interested parties have been sent a copy of the draft proposals and an explanation of the current position.