Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot be confident about anything at the moment because it is still under consideration. We have consistently said - and the Taoiseach repeated it at the European Council last week - that Ireland is willing to pay more when it comes to the next MFF. We said this before the Covid-19 virus hit. Now more than ever it is crucial given the additional challenges we are facing. What has also been highlighted is that now more than ever we need to protect our more traditional policies, but as I have said previously, these are not old policies or traditional policies, they are as relevant now as they ever have been, especially focusing on food security and on the impact and relevance for our rural economy, and particularly as we try to recover from Covid-19. The focus of our priority will continue to be on policies round CAP and cohesion, and on research and innovation. We have always said that Ireland would pay more but not to the detriment of those key areas. We had taken this position before this crisis, and it is one we fully stand by.

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