Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In regard to the free zone, Rosslare Europort is seeking the creation of such a zone at the port to facilitate and encourage the development of businesses. The port has been engaging with Wexford County Council on this matter. Among the business opportunities the port wishes to pursue in the context of a free zone is the creation of a facility to service the growing offshore wind industry. Free zones are secured customs areas within the European Union where non-Union goods can be introduced free of import duties and charges and commercial policy measures. These goods may, following time in the free zone, be released to the domestic market subject to payment of import duties and other charges. Rosslare Europort envisages that companies which locate in the port's business park free zone would have the ability to operate and install offshore wind farms in a cost-effective and competitive manner.

My understanding is that the proposal for a free zone at Rosslare is at a very early concept stage and a full business proposal would need to be developed and examined by the Departments concerned, including the Department of Finance, the new Department with responsibility for enterprise and the new Department with responsibility for transport, and compliance with EU state aid rules would be required. In the meantime, Rosslare Europort is to undergo a major transformation as part of its master plan, which will see more than €30 million invested in customer facilities, port infrastructure, assets and new technology by the port over the course of the next five years. This will entail the modernisation and digitalisation of the port.

The Deputy referred to the TEN-T process. The European Commission has published a methodology for establishing the core and comprehensive layers of the TEN-T network. Rosslare Europort is on the TEN-T comprehensive network, as I have outlined, and it does not meet the threshold for TEN-T core port status. I have run out of time but I can discuss these issues further with the Deputy at a later date.

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