Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
Implications of Brexit for the Environment: Discussion
2:15 pm
Mr. Seán Kelly:
To link the two issues, in respect of funding for cross-Border environmental issues, there is approximately €60 million in the current INTERREG VA programme that considers environmental issues, including biodiversity, freshwater and our shared marine resources. There is also funding through those measures and in other programmes such as Horizon 2020, L'Instrument Financier pour l'Environnement, LIFE, INTERREG VB and VC, I think, for climate change actions. That is a resource we are in danger of losing. We can try to react to the realities of climate change in terms of mitigation and adaptation on a North-South basis, that is, where we are most concerned about climate change. I am aware of Donald Trump's announcement today, but the biggest problem for us is trying to do something collectively on climate change on these islands. That loss of funding alone is important. That money has to be spent North-South and if it improves the environment on one side, it improves it on the other side because it has to be cross-Border. There are several programmes and measures that we are concerned about in respect of all environmental issues, including climate change. All these programmes include climate change measures, mitigation and adaptation. That is a great big unknown to us after Brexit.
No comments