Mr. David Healy:

Go raibh maith agat a Chathaoirligh, as an gcuireadh a labhairt libh inniu. Is onóir dúinn a bheith anseo.

The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, EMRA, is one of the three Irish regional assemblies. Our functions cover planning and economic development, European affairs and regional governance. Overall, our ambition is to support regional development and deliver concrete change on the ground for the benefit of the region, using evidence-based decision-making. As members of this committee know, regional assemblies have been entrusted with the management of European funds and the role of raising awareness on European opportunities. EMRA is the managing authority for the EU just transition fund. It has demonstrated its expertise and capacity in implementing the €169 million fund in support of key projects diversifying the local economy, providing jobs and rehabilitating natural and heritage assets for the territory and communities most impacted by the transition.

As you all know, the funds managed by regional assemblies are instruments of the European cohesion policy. Members heard last week from the Committee of the Regions president, Kata Tütt, and our colleague Councillor Gillian Coughlan as to how the proposals published by the European Commission this summer regarding the future are raising serious concerns for regions. I will not repeat it all, but the drowning of cohesion policy in a wider fund that would also include agriculture and security is a threat to the policy and its objective of reducing disparities within and between regions.

The programming of the fund through national and regional partnerships would also undermine the territorial dimension of the policy. We therefore call on Ireland to advocate at European level during the upcoming negotiations for a cohesion policy that retains and reinforces its place-based dimension, allowing regions to be active partners in both design and implementation of the future funding programmes.

Another important point we want to raise with the committee today is the current misalignment between the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, regional programmes and regional boundaries. At present, there are only two ERDF regional programmes in Ireland for three regions. The southern, eastern and midland programme covers the territories of both the southern region and the eastern and midland region. This programme is managed by the Southern Regional Assembly. While there is great co-operation between the two assemblies, this disconnect weakens considerably our regional structure and hinders the possibility of tailored support for each region. EMRA has proven its capacity to deliver EU funding, with the effective implementation of the EU just transition fund in the wider midlands.

Each regional assembly has adopted its regional spatial and economic strategy, RSES, and will soon start its review. These strategies are the locally informed regional translation of the national planning framework and provide a long-term strategic framework for the development of the region. Not aligning this key policy with EU funding is a missed opportunity, which is why the members of the regional assembly ask for alignment between EU funding and regional structures so that these funds can be leveraged for the benefit of our territories. Such a change would reinforce the political legitimacy of our assemblies and strengthen the regional structure in Ireland, which is currently weak, especially in comparison with our European counterparts. As the Cathaoirleach highlighted last week to the committee, subsidiarity is crucial to put us on par with other European regions. This is a point we included in our submission to the local democracy task force consultation that took place this summer as we feel strongly that reinforced regional governance is key to the strengthening of our democracy.

There is a lot more that a stronger assembly could deliver for citizens and territories. To realise the full value of Ireland's EU membership, it is essential that the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly's engagement with European institutions is routine, professional and on par with our regional counterparts across Europe. Many European regions have long-established networks and advocacy channels that allow them to shape EU policy and secure investment aligned with their priorities. An empowered and better resourced EMRA, in tandem with the Irish Regions European Office, will be able to contribute regional evidence to EU policymaking, form strategic partnerships and ensure that our region's voice is heard in the European arena, all for the benefit of our region and its communities.

We would relish the possibility to do more when it comes to European engagement. The region has proved its capacity to deliver and is ready to take on future challenges. For this, we need the support of the committee in ensuring regions remain and are enhanced as key actors on the European scene and in the future EU programming period. Together, we can work to place regions at the centre when it comes to designing and implementing policies that impact regional and local communities, and to make sure that the regions of Ireland have the necessary resources to keep delivering concrete benefits on the ground.