Written answers

Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

EU Funding

Photo of John DeasyJohn Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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1258. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the projects that will be prioritised in view of the European Commission’s agreement to triple transport infrastructure financing to €26 billion from 2014 to 2020 to create a unified trans-European transport network under the connecting Europe facility of the multi-annual financial framework. [45782/13]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The funding available under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for transport within the Multi Annual Framework is scheduled to be €26.2 billion of which €11.3 billion will be allocated specifically for cohesion Member States. The remaining €14.9 billion available to all Member States is an increase of over 50% on the current financial Transport European Networks allocation for transport over the period 2007-2013. It will not be trebled.  

Funding under the CEF will be available largely for projects on the defined Core Network of the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T). There are strict criteria for inclusion in this. In Ireland’s case, the Core Network consists of the road rail axis of Cork-Dublin-Belfast (with link to Shannon Foynes Port), the ports of Dublin, Cork and Shannon-Foynes, and Dublin and Cork Airports.

 A call for proposals is expected in 2014 and my Department and relevant State companies are in the process of identifying potential projects that may be suitable for CEF funding. However, I should point out that the funding available for eligible works projects under the CEF will require matching funds from national sources.  The EU co-funding to be provided under CEF will vary depending on the nature of the works from up to 10% in some cases to up to 50% for some categories of works. Where matching funding will be required from the Exchequer, the availability of such funding is very constrained in the present economic circumstances and this will obviously have a major bearing on the ability to put forward projects under the CEF.

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