Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring has reported an acceleration in the number projects approved for funding under the LEADER scheme, with almost 100 approvals now issuing every month.Some 531 projects have received the green light for a total of €14m to date, compared with just 45 in the first half of the year. Fianna Fáil spokesperson on rural affairs Éamon Ó Cuív last month contrasted this with the €48m approved at a similar stage in the previous LEADER programme and highlighted a “worrying underspend”.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring has reported an acceleration in the number projects approved for funding under the LEADER scheme, with almost 100 approvals now issuing every month.
Some 531 projects have received the green light for a total of €14m to date, compared with just 45 in the first half of the year. Fianna Fáil spokesperson on rural affairs Éamon Ó Cuív last month contrasted this with the €48m approved at a similar stage in the previous LEADER programme and highlighted a “worrying underspend”.
“There was a slow start to the new programme as new systems were put in place,” Minister Ring said. “However, the changes I have introduced to simplify the project approval process are beginning to take effect and I expect that these changes will have an even bigger impact in 2018.”
LEADER channels €250m of EU funding into rural development projects during the 2014-2020 CAP through local partners like county councils.
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