Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 52: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation the degree to which he can obtain support from the EU to facilitate industry seeking to modernise and become more competitive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10122/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The EU Competitiveness Council recently endorsed a new European integrated industrial policy for the globalisation era which puts competitiveness and sustainability at centre stage. This policy forms part of the seven Flagships launched under the European Union's new strategy for Jobs and Growth: Europe 2020.

I fully support the core elements of the Europe 2020 strategy and its objectives to stimulate growth based on knowledge and innovation and a more sustainable and greener economy with high employment and social inclusion. These objectives are also broadly consistent with the Government's own strategies as set out in the Programme for Government and with the National Recovery Plan.

The industrial policy Flagship sets out a strategy that aims to boost growth and jobs by maintaining and supporting a strong, diversified and competitive industrial base in Europe. The new approach also means looking at the whole value chain, from infrastructure and raw materials to after-sales service. With the globalisation of markets and the changing nature of both manufacturing and services value chains, continued economic progress and growth will be driven by companies continually innovating to successfully add greater value at every point in their value chain. Promoting the creation and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises is at the core of the EU industrial policy. Moreover, the transition to a sustainable economy is recognised as an opportunity to be seized as a means of strengthening competitiveness.

For the EU to be able to compete globally, it must establish the best framework conditions for business. It must ensure that its firms can innovate, restructure and transform themselves quickly. I believe that it is important, with the support of stronger EU-level co-ordination and supports, to facilitate timely and appropriate industrial restructuring and upgrading thus ensuring the renewal of EU industrial sectors and the necessary upgrading of worker skills and opportunities. Supports such as the two Structural Funds, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) as well as the Cohesion Fund have contributed to regional competitiveness and employment objectives. Cohesion Policy for 2007-2013 is explicitly linked to goals in Ireland's National Reform Programme under Europe 2020. To this end our current forecast is that 90% of expenditure over the period will be on actions that are earmarked to support competitiveness and sustainable development.

In addition to the EU Structural Funds, Ireland receives significant European funding from the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), the Seventh Framework R&D Programme (FP7). The Government has also secured funding from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) for a package of measures to retrain, upskill and offer further entrepreneurial and educational opportunities to workers affected by the closures of Dell, Waterford Crystal and SR Technics. A number of relevant State agencies such as FÁS, Enterprise Ireland and the CEBs are involved in the distribution of these funds.