EU Commissioner to visit Midlands after pledge on flooding and farming concerns
EU Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, is set to visit the Midlands after pledge on flooding and farming concerns.
Following a meeting in Strasbourg with EU Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly has confirmed she accepted his invitation to see first-hand the difficulties caused by flooding and other incidents in recent years.
After the meeting, MEP Mullooly said he was “pleased that the Commissioner now had a better understanding of the major issues of concern to farmers, caused by the new Nature Restoration Act and previous historical flooding along the River Shannon catchment area.”
He met with the Save Our Shannon Committee in Athlone in February and pledged to raise their concerns. He handed over a letter from the Committee seeking EU support to address ongoing threats of thousands of euros in farm earnings, harvesting, and livestock losses caused by serious, annual flooding along the River Shannon.
MEP Mullooly said: “I am pleased that Commissioner Ribera was in a position to listen to the first-hand stories I presented today of farmers such as Michael Silk from Meelick, County Galway, who have spent the last 30 years campaigning for recognition of the special circumstances that the farmers in this region have to live in.”
Commissioner Ribera told MEP Mullooly she was acutely aware of the issues surrounding the Nature Restoration Act but felt compensation and financial supports must be dealt with in the context of the forthcoming CAP negotiations and the multi-annual funding framework, while stressing the need to support Irish farmers in these difficult situations.
MEP Mullooly also raised his proposal for a new Just Transition Fund for the Midlands. Having spoken to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he emphasised the need to simplify the Fund and introduce pre-funding of up to 40% for community groups unable to raise initial funds.
Executive Vice-President Ribera supported this and will now raise it with Raffaele Fitto, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms.
Mullooly highlighted the need for greater EU support for local community-led groups in Renewable Energy Scheme projects, enabling citizens to participate and invest in their communities. He asked how the Commissioner could better support such projects, including wind and solar in rural Ireland.
She replied that this was “protected by legislation and she would now ask the European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jørgensen, to ensure that this legislation was followed through and engaged in all circumstances within the Member States.”
MEP Mullooly noted many cases where promoters failed to engage with local communities, even when communities wished to co-own wind farm turbines. Executive Vice-President Ribera said she would strongly pursue this, as she supports community engagement in renewable energy.