20 Ean 2015, 18:11
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has this afternoon been updated on the progress in the negotiations between the Department of Agriculture and the European Commission on the draft Rural Development Programme 2014- 2020 (RDP).
20 January 2015
Minister Simon Coveney TD, along with key officials, told the Committee that the current draft has been subject to detailed, lengthy and rigorous scrutiny by the Commission.
The RDP, which was submitted by the Department of Agriculture to the European Commission last year, sets out to provide €4 billion to rural communities in the coming years.
Committee Chairman Andrew Doyle TD: “This afternoon's engagement with Minister Coveney and his officials was a useful exercise for our cross party Committee in assessing the current state of play between the Department of Agriculture and the European Commission. The RDP is a critical document for rural Ireland in the coming six years and the Committee was told that negotiations are at an advanced stage.
“The Committee heard that, while 266 observations from the Commission have been received, this is relatively low compared to other Member States. The Committee takes on board the argument that this is €4bn of European taxpayers’ money and that, consequently, RDP approval must be an arduous process, underpinned by European law. The Committee is acutely aware of the detailed ongoing work in securing a satisfactory and practical RDP for rural Ireland and welcomes the willingness of the Minister and his officials to keep us informed of negotiations and developments.”
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