Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has today (Friday, October 13) announced a further €24 million for the Midlands region under Ireland’s EU Just Transition Fund (JTF) programme.
The JFT programme supports projects in the EU JFT territory, consisting of counties Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon and the municipal districts of Ballinasloe (Co. Galway), Athy, Clane-Maynooth, (Co. Kildare) and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co. Tipperary).
The funding aims to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future in the Midlands by helping projects that invest in the development of local communities.
Funding of up to €1 million is available for projects to implement ‘Local Economic and Community Plans’ within the Just Transition territory.
At the regional level, up to €5 million is available to support strategic flagship projects in alignment with ‘Regional Enterprise Plans’ in the territory.
This could include the expansion of education, training or skills programmes or investments in heritage infrastructure across the region.
In this first call, funding of up to €15 million will be available, through Pobal, to projects aligned with the eight Local Economic and Community Plans in the Territory, with a further €9 million available for strategic flagship projects aligned with the relevant regional enterprise plans.
Commenting on the funding, Ryan said: “I welcome the launch of this new Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme, as part of Ireland’s EU Just Transition Fund Programme.
“The targeted funding aims to support local economies so that they can thrive and diversify, creating new employment opportunities and accelerating the shift towards more sustainable development.
“This is about investing in communities and the region as a whole from the bottom-up, almost as seed capital for the enterprise and creativity that exists in every town and village, but which often needs targeted support to be able to flourish.”
Ryan said it is also an important opportunity for partners in the eight local authorities, together with other local stakeholders, to contribute to the “ongoing development” of the Midlands region.
EU Just Transition Fund
The purpose of the EU Just Transition Fund is to assist the territories most affected by the transition to a climate-neutral economy.
In Ireland, this focuses on the wider Midlands region, where there have been direct impacts from the move away from peat production and electricity generation from peat, the Irish government said.
To facilitate a just transition towards a low-carbon economy in the Midlands, the EU and the Irish government established a €169 million Just Transition Fund Programme for the period 2023-2026.
Cathaoirleach of the Eastern and Midland regional assembly, Cllr Kate Feeney, said: “The launch of this new EU Just Transition Fund Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme provides a very exciting opportunity.
“This groundbreaking scheme brings a much-needed boost to local and regional development strategies in the wider Midland region.
“This is a local fund for local people that will allow communities in the wider Midlands to realise their locally-grown project ideas to boost the region as a great place to live, work and visit.”