Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
435. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the particular infrastructural needs of areas such as counties Cavan and Monaghan will be given priority consideration if cohesion funds are available post-2020 in view of the negative impacts Brexit will have on the Border region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34331/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is acutely aware of the likely negative impacts that Brexit will have on the Border region, including Cavan and Monaghan.
The Deputy will be aware of the dedicated cohesion funding that has been devoted to the Border region of Ireland and to Northern Ireland through the EU-funded cross-border programmes, PEACE and INTERREG. Together the two programmes have been important drivers of development for the region for more than a quarter of a century.
The Government’s consistent position has been that it is committed to the successful implementation of the current PEACE and INTERREG programmes and to successor arrangements post-2020.
I was pleased, therefore, that the Government’s ambition for the programmes was reflected in December’s EU-UK Joint Report on Brexit in which both parties undertook to honour their commitments under the current Multiannual Financial Framework and to examine the possibilities for future support favourably. This was matched by a commitment from the Commission to propose the continuation of the programmes in its proposal for the next MFF covering the period 2021-2027.
This has now happened, and I warmly welcome the Commission’s recent proposal for a special new PEACE PLUS programme which will build on and continue the work of successive PEACE and INTERREG programmes in the region. My officials and I will continue to work with the Commission on the development of this new programme to ensure that the challenges facing the Border region are addressed.
