Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy and all Members of the House that we share a common objective. What we are engaged in is a series of strategic alliance building efforts to try to bring about a situation where member states will agree to increase their contributions. It is important to be realistic about it. When the Commission published its proposals on CAP, there were a number of member states that criticised the proposals specifically on the basis that they did not go far enough in terms of cutting the budget. That is a significant challenge. Increasing the budget contribution of member states requires a unanimous decision so, politically, it is a very significant task to undertake.

As the Deputy knows, the Taoiseach clearly stated in the European Parliament that Ireland was prepared to increase its contribution. What is not widely understood is that we are a net contributor to the European Union since 2014 and, in fact, a net contributor at the higher level, perhaps in the top three or four for per capita contributions to the EU. We are prepared to pay more but we want to do so in the context of important projects that we believe should be funded adequately. It is important also to acknowledge that we get in the region of 70% of our receipts from Europe through the CAP and that the multiplier effect this has in rural communities is very significant.

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