Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

208. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the Rural Development Plan 2014-2020 will receive formal approval from the European Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49001/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The overall objectives of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020 are to enhance the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, achieve a more sustainable management of natural resources and ensure a more balanced development of rural areas. Ireland’s draft RDP was submitted to the EU Commission on 3 July 2014, a number of weeks in advance of the regulatory deadline. The proposed measures in the new RDP have been framed in light of the experience of the previous Programme and are based on an objective analysis of sectoral needs and priorities identified during an extensive consultation process that took place over a period of 18 months.

The Commission’s formal observations on the draft RDP were received on 20 October, and raised a number of informational, technical and policy matters. My Department issued a detailed response to the Commission’s observation letter on 11 November.

At present, my officials are in ongoing and intensive discussion with the Commission in order to seek a speedy resolution of outstanding issues. At this stage, it is difficult to be definitive about the duration of these discussions given the demands on Commission resources in dealing with 118 RDPs and the need for the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development to co-ordinate with the range of other Directorates General that have commented on the draft RDP. While all Programmes are subject to the same approval procedures, the timescale for approval will obviously vary depending on the complexity, scale and scope of individual Programmes. Following agreement on a Member State’s national or regional Programme, a draft RDP must go through a formal adoption process in the Commission.

Given the need for continuity in relation to RDP schemes between Programming periods, my priority now is to expedite the approval process. Ongoing bilateral discussions between officials of my Department and the Commission are being pursued as a matter of priority.

In recent discussions at EU level, a technical issue has emerged in relation to the need to amend the financial allocations in the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) for RDPs to be approved in 2015. This amendment could have delayed the formal adoption of RDPs. However, I have raised this issue with the Commission and I am pleased to report that they have agreed to put in place a procedure whereby a letter of comfort will issue to Member States who have informally agreed their RDP with the Commission but where formal adoption of the RDP will be delayed by the MFF amendment process. This letter of comfort will enable Member States to launch their RDPs in advance of the formal adoption process, and will ensure that the technical MFF issue does not delay the roll out of RDP schemes.