Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree it must be kept on the agenda. If we want to keep something on the agenda, the question of resources and funding must be addressed. There could be a role in this matter for the European Investment Fund and the Connecting Europe Facility, which can attract capital at favourable interest rates and, in turn, leverage debt and equity financing to enable major energy infrastructure projects to proceed. The concerns of peripheral regions with inadequate interconnections and sources of energy can be addressed by these means. While our figure for connectivity is currently at 11%, we need to build on it. This debate needs to continue in this Parliament and in Europe, with a focus on the key issue of resources.

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