Brussels, 18/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - By signing its partnership agreement on Tuesday 18 November, Ireland closed the process for adopting the partnership contract. The Commission accepted and signed this 28th investment strategy for European structural funds, having negotiated with Ireland on the best way to invest the €3.357 billion of its cohesion envelope.
The money will be used to boost the competitiveness of the Irish regions via innovation, education and entrepreneurship. The European Commissioner for Regional Development, Corina Cretu, welcomed the move, stressing that this investment plan put Ireland on the path of jobs and growth for the next 10 years.
This signature, coming in mid-November, is a little late, but still just in time. This will allow Cretu to meet the European ministers for the first time, at the General Affairs Council of Wednesday 19 November, having concluded the negotiations of the partnership contracts (which is by no means the case for the operational programmes). This is the first time the Commission has carried out this negotiation exercise - a result of the reform of the cohesion policy - and formally binding the member states to guarantee the strategic investment of the structural funds. (MD)