Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the discussions he has had to date with the EU and with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine in relation to the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28059/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) is the Managing Authority for the Rural Development Programme, and is in ongoing discussions with the European Commission on the 2014-2020 Programme. My Department is the delegated paying agency for Axes 3 and 4, the LEADER elements of the Programme. Accordingly, it is in regular contact with the Department of Agriculture, including in regard to programme preparations and Ex Ante Evaluation. At EU level there are three key elements which concern the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. 

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) which provides the financial allocation for each fund and Member State has yet to be approved by the European Parliament.  The European Council has agreed on a package which provides a total of €2.19bn or some €313m for Ireland per year under Pillar 2 of the CAP for the period 2014 - 2020. This includes a special allocation of €100 million, over the full period, negotiated in the final stages of the talks. 

Discussions on CAP Reform, led by my colleague nister Coveney at EU level, continue in trialogues between the European Council, Parliament and Commission.  This includes the Rural Development Regulation.  These trialogue negotiations covering all aspects of Agriculture and Rural Development are complex and multi-layered. 

For the period 2014-2020 the Rural Development Fund will form part of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), including the Social Fund, Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund as well as the European Marine and Fisheries Fund.  The ESIF will have common rules and provisions for how all five funds are managed to best assist each Member State achieve its targets under the EU 2020 Strategy.