Offaly voices are heard in important budget talks with EU Vice-President
Ciaran Mullooly says Offaly’s experience must be heard at the highest level in Europe
CIARAN Mullooly MEP has said County Offaly’s experience of local development, Just Transition funding and regional regeneration must be heard at the highest level in Europe, following a two-day engagement in Dublin with European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, Commission officials and representatives from the Commission office in Dublin.
The engagement, held in the European Parliament offices in Dublin, brought together more than 20 key stakeholders from Irish farming, regional development, local authorities and civil society to discuss the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework and its implications for rural communities.
MEP Mullooly helped bring a number of local and rural voices into the process, including Offaly representatives with direct experience of local development, local authority delivery and Just Transition funding, ensuring that County Offaly’s concerns formed part of the discussion with Executive Vice-President Fitto.
As part of the engagement, Eoghan Ryan, Chief Executive of Offaly County Council, gave a practical regional and local authority perspective, rooted in the Just Transition Fund and wider regeneration.
He highlighted renewable energy, peatlands, green energy projects, tourism and heritage work, showing how EU support can be turned into concrete local development. He also highlighted the urgent need to deliver on public-private partnerships.
Linda Kelly of Kilcormac Development also outlined the role of the EU Just Transition Fund in supporting Kilcormac Development following the closure of peat-related employment in the area.
She referred to €1.3 million drawn down, 35 jobs created, and the possibility of further expansion of up to 20 additional jobs. She also raised issues around the future of the fund, the need to maintain momentum, and the challenges posed by state aid and funding constraints.
MEP Mullooly said the contributions from Offaly helped bring the county’s local development needs into a wider European discussion at a critical stage in the shaping of the next EU budget.
“I warmly welcome the contributions made by Eoghan Ryan of Offaly County Council and Linda Kelly of Kilcormac Development during this engagement with Executive Vice-President Fitto,” said MEP Mullooly. “Their contributions helped ensure that County Offaly’s experience was heard directly in a discussion with one of the most senior decision-makers in Brussels on the future of EU funding. The examples raised in this discussion show how EU support can be connected to local development, employment, regeneration, tourism, heritage, renewable energy and community renewal. They also show why the next EU budget must stay rooted in the realities facing rural communities and areas affected by transition.”
The discussions focused on the future of CAP, Cohesion Policy, LEADER, the EU Just Transition Fund and related issues, with a shared emphasis on simplification, flexibility and keeping EU funding rooted in the realities of rural communities.
The wider two-day engagement also included contributions from farming organisations including the IFA, ICMSA, INHFA and ICSA, alongside EU LEADER companies, chief executives of local authorities, rural development voices and recipients of EU Just Transition Fund grant aid.
A written submission was also presented to Executive Vice-President Fitto, setting out detailed background on key areas of concern in the proposed new EU budget.
MEP Mullooly said the meeting came at a key point in the discussions on the structure of the next EU budget package. “We are now at a key stage in terms of the structuring of the proposed EU budget package,” he said. “The obvious focus is on areas where there is a shortfall in funding, including pressure on single farm payments and key areas of cohesion. In the European Parliament next week in Strasbourg, I will be addressing these issues and seeking hard commitments with regard to areas where there is a shortfall.”
Executive Vice-President Fitto responded in a constructive and pragmatic manner, emphasising the need for simplification and a more flexible, modern Multiannual Financial Framework, while respecting the diversity of Member States and regions.
He also referred to future initiatives on territorial development and highlighted the importance of ensuring high-quality spending across cohesion policy and related sectors. He underlined that the “right to stay” will be a major forthcoming initiative, with further work also planned on islands, cities and eastern border regions.
MEP Mullooly said the Dublin engagement marked the beginning of a wider process, with the same group expected to come together again in September or October in Brussels to continue their work.