EU’s €750m plan will help migrants

MIGRANTS, including the Roma community, are to benefit from some of the €750 million EU money being spent in Ireland over the next seven years, the European Commission has announced.

The money will be concentrated on delivering economic growth and jobs, including training — especially in the border midlands-west region, which continues to lag behind the Dublin and south regions`.

Announcing agreement on the spending plan, the European commissioner for regional policy Danuta Hubner said she was very pleased that 83% of the money hads been earmarked for job creation and growth.

“Ireland has been one of our best examples of how cohesion policy can be used to help create growth and jobs, and I’m very happy the Irish authorities intend to carry on with policies on these lines,” said the Polish commissioner.

Priorities include increasing skills particularly of women, those with disabilities, lone parents, Travellers (including the Roma community) and ex-offenders.

A special programme will target migrants as they make a significant contribution to the country’s economy.

Ireland aims to double the number of PhD graduates during the seven years of the programme to 2013, by investing in research and development mainly in the Iinstitutes of technology in the regions.

Funds are also earmarked for public transport and plans to improve the links between rural towns while at the same time improving the environment and promoting sustainable development.

MEP Proinsias de Rossa said it was critical that some of the funds support innovation, knowledge and entrepreneurship in regions that badly need these skills.

“We need to boost research and development in many areas and we need to increase funding to third- level institutions, especially our iInstitutes of technology, so that we can increase the level of foreign direct investment in tandem with developing sustainable indigenous industry,” he said.