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Transport Minister Shane Ross has come under fire after his Department confirmed it will not take advantage of the Connecting Europe Facility funding.
CEF is an EU funding instrument aimed at infrastructure investment including transport.
The Department of Transport will not be submitting an application for this round of funding, it was revealed in a parliamentary question response to Fianna Fáil. This call for funds has €100 million of co-funding available for successful applications. €65 million of this is for actions related to projects on the comprehensive TEN-T network.
Fianna Fáil representative Marc Mac Sharry TD has called the government's decision "baffling" as the country prepares for life after Brexit.
Deputy Mac Sharry commented: "In a recent parliamentary reply the Minister stated 'it is not envisaged that my Department will be making an application in its own right under the current call'. The decision not to apply for funding under this round is even more baffling when you consider the threat that Brexit presents to Ireland's ties with Europe. At a time when we should be seeking new connections, Minister Ross has not bothered to apply for European funding to do so.
"This is part of a long-term trend of Fine Gael. Looking at the overall figures for the current Connecting Europe Facility programme, which has allocated €24.05 billion for the period 2014-2020. Of the 28 member states, only three countries have drawn down less funding than Ireland. When we look at the amount drawn down as a percentage of GNI, only two countries have drawn down less than Ireland over the entire period.
"Denmark, a country with an economy of similar size to Ireland, has used CEF funding to drive a €2 billion investment programme in its rail services and to roll out hydrogen-powered public transport.
"This funding could be used to provide vital upgrades to benefit Irish commuters, such as providing better rail journey times, more comfortable rail services, or enhancing Irish ports," he concluded.
(CM/JG)
