Mr. Eddie Burke:

Separately, funding for TEN-T from 2021 is being renegotiated. As part of a regulation that is being brought forward, we have also asked to be linked with Le Havre on the Atlantic corridor. Thus, we would be linked with two corridors. The Commission has accepted that proposal and the French Government is very much in favour of it. Under the regulation as proposed, there will be a link with certain French, Dutch and Belgian ports on the North Sea-Mediterranean corridor and another with Le Havre on the Atlantic corridor. We can only connect to ports that are on the core network and they are the ports that are on the core network.

As part of the renegotiation of the funding mechanism for 2021 onwards, with Malta and Cyprus, we have sought to vary the initial Commission proposal only to fund cross-border projects on the comprehensive network. The vast majority of the network in Ireland is part of the comprehensive network and would not receive funding. With Malta and Cyprus, we have sought funding to be provided for the comprehensive network of any member state without a land border with another member state. The Commission has accepted that proposal. That means that in the next round funding will continue to be available for the comprehensive network, although it did not form part of the original proposal of the Commission.

On the remainder of TEN-T, we have asked the Commission to carry out a review of the network in the light of Brexit. We have yet to submit a full request in that regard, but we have also raised it at a working party level. In our discussions with the Commission we are conscious that Brexit has particular implications for connectivity from the island of Ireland to continental markets and that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom will mean that some parts of Ireland, particularly in the west and north west, will become more peripheral in getting to markets. The Commission has been forthcoming in that regard, but we have asked for that review at working party level. We must formalise the request by means of a formal submission that will take account of what we consider the implications of Brexit will be.