Green light for new rural plan
A consultation programme to prepare the ground for the plan will begin immediately with the Government having until next March to submit the programme to the European Commission.
Organisations, agencies and bodies with an interest in rural development will be consulted over the next few months and the feedback is expected to impact significantly in the shape of the plan.
It is intended that the plan will dovetail with the EU rural development programme (2007-2013), which is expected to be built around on-farm competitiveness, land management and the wider rural economy.
The EU programme, agreed in Luxembourg in summer, will go to planning once problems with the proposed EU budget are resolved.
Irish LEADER Network chairman Oliver Cassidy welcomed the news.
He said he hoped the Government would listen to bodies such as LEADER that have a track record in designing and delivering comprehensive rural development initiatives.
“When it comes to rural Ireland and its development, LEADER companies have an enormous wealth of experience, skills and knowledge,” he said.
Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon O’Cuiv has meanwhile stated that achieving an appropriate balance is one of the main challenges to be faced in introducing an EU rural development policy.
