Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To respond to the middle part of the Deputy's question, it is precisely because it refers to concerns we have about the funding of CAP, and the desire we have to protect, for example, funding of ERASMUS and research and development, that I am being careful in regard to putting a figure on a future Irish contribution. We are not engaged in a dialogue in this regard; this is a negotiation, as the Deputy understands. If I say here today what I believe the level of Irish contribution will be in the future, before we have secured agreement in regard to the protection of funding programmes that are important to Ireland, it will undermine our ability to secure our national interest in these negotiations. Our contribution will go up. The degree to which it will go up will depend upon our ability to secure areas that are important to Ireland.

In regard to some of the proposals of President Macron on the future of the EU budget, as the Deputy knows, there are some areas we are concerned about and would not be in a position to support, for example, in regard to the implementation of CCCTB across Ireland, but there are other areas on which we will be engaging with the European Commission to come up with a new budget because we will need one, and a more modern one than we have now.

See this speech in context