1. Programme strategy: main challenges and policy responses Reference: points (a)(i) to (viii) and point (a)(x) of Article 22(3) and point (b) of Article 22(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 (CPR) INTRODUCTION The Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027 [‘the Programme’] is an ERDF co-funded investment programme that supports balanced regional development across two of the three NUTS2 regions of Ireland, the Southern Region and the Eastern and Midland Region. The two regions comprise eighteen counties and include the four metropolitan city areas of Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Limerick-Shannon, the regional growth centres of Athlone in the Midlands and Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry on the Dublin-Belfast corridor, a network of twenty-five key towns and an extensive rural hinterland. This €663 million co-funded programme of investment is supported by €265 million of EU funding and €398 million of national funding provided by the Government of Ireland. The Programme assists the Government’s aim of promoting balanced regional development by supporting the implementation of the Regional Economic and Spatial Strategies in each of the two regions in the programme area and is focused on the following key strategic outcomes: Developing Smarter More Competitive Regions by building RD&I capacity within the public research institutions in our regions, by accelerating the translation of cutting-edge research into commercial applications at a regional level, by supporting innovation diffusion and by strengthening regional innovation ecosystems in line with Ireland's Smart Specialisation Strategy and the Regional Enterprise Plans. Creating Greener More Energy Efficient Regions and a Just Transition by focusing on scaling up investment in actions that improve the energy efficiency of residential homes while targeting homeowners in, or at risk of, energy poverty. Supporting Sustainable Urban Development in our Regions by taking an integrated strategic approach to the regeneration of our towns using a Town Centres First Framework. PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT The key challenges and future ambitions for the programme area are clearly articulated in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region (2020) and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Eastern and Midland Region (2019) [‘the RSES’]. The RSES are strategic plans and investment frameworks to shape the future development of Ireland’s regions to 2031 and beyond. The making of each RSES required detailed research and an extensive public and stakeholder consultation process. The RSES are informed by Project Ireland 2040 – the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan – and by economic and other relevant policies of the government, including climate change plans and the ten-year capital investment plan. The Programme supports the implementation of each RSES, taking into account lessons learnt from past experience, the Country Reports (CR2019, CR2020), an independent Needs Analysis for ERDF and ESF+ Funding (2020), the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP2021), the National Development Plan Review (NDP2021), public consultations, and a wide range of national and EU reports and policy documents. There is a particular focus on aligning the Programme with other EU, national and private sector actions and investment under Ireland’s Climate Action Plan (2021), Smart Specialisation Strategy (2022), and Town Centre First – a Policy Approach for Irish Towns (2022). The Programme is framed by EU policy objectives, the thematic concentration and climate change contribution requirements set out in the regulations, the opportunity to complement other EU, national and regional investments and the limited amount of ERDF funding available relative to the scale of the challenges in the regions. In this respect, the Programme seeks to avoid competing with other public or private investment and focuses instead on key challenges and investment needs where ERDF can make a strong and visible impact to the benefit of the regions and their citizens. The Programme focuses on three selected Policy Objectives and has been structured under three priorities to reflect this.
7
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker