An Ireland South MEP has warned that the south-east risks being left “short-changed” under new EU budget proposals.
Sinn Féins Kathleen Funchion has raised concerns that under the Commission’s current direction, our region will be overlooked and that it will miss out on funding.
MEP Funchion has told KCLR that people want funding in public transport which could be under threat
“In the south–east, we have zero air transport, dwindling port infrastructure, slow trains, and dangerous road connections.
“Yet we are the part of the island closest to the single market, which is still hundreds of kilometres away post-Brexit. All these issues require urgent investment.
“The current proposal from the EU Commission will see EU funds allocated increasingly at national level, leaving the south–east at risk of losing out in an even greater way.
“The European Commission 2025 Country Report for Ireland is clear. It shows that the south–east region has the lowest regional economic growth since 2013.
“We don’t yet know whether the National Plan model will come to pass, but the message I want to send today is that regions are not all the same. Areas like the south–east need special attention and special plans backed up by real funding.
“I am deeply concerned that under the Commission’s current direction, our region will be overlooked and that it will miss out on funding. I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
