Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This has been thrashed out at European level and there have been big cuts. Horizon 2020 is in the category or heading of 1A, which includes a certain bundle. President Van Rompuy has been proposing certain changes in order to secure compromise deals. That is the level at which potential trade-offs between the Common Agricultural Policy and Horizon 2020 are occurring. I do not think there is an initiative we could take at my Council level to influence the division of money between Horizon 2020 and the Common Agricultural Policy. These decisions will be made by the European Council. We will then have to work within the allocation. I do not think it is open to our Council to shape that debate. Obviously, there are competing areas looking for the same euro. That is the difficulty.