Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly has tabled a package of amendments to the European Commission’s proposed National and Regional Partnership Plans, warning that the new EU funding model must not become a “centralised blank cheque” for national governments.
The National and Regional Partnership Plans, known as NRP Plans or NRPPs, form part of the proposed EU funding architecture for 2028 to 2034. Under the Commission’s proposal, a wide range of funding streams would be brought together under a new European Fund covering economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural development, fisheries and maritime communities, housing, transport, climate transition, regional development and wider investment priorities.
Mr Mullooly said the proposed changes represent one of the most significant redesigns of EU funding in years and must be shaped by local and regional needs.
“This is not a minor technical reform. It is a major redesign of how European funding will be planned, managed and delivered after 2027,” he said.
“The question is whether this money will be shaped by local communities, local authorities, farmers, fishers, rural organisations and regional bodies, or whether it will become a centralised system where national governments control the purse strings and local voices are weakened.”
Mr Mullooly said his amendments are designed to ensure that simplification does not become centralisation.
The amendments seek to require local and regional authorities to be involved from the earliest stages in the preparation, implementation, monitoring, reporting, review and evaluation of the plans. Where a measure affects local services, he said local authorities should be involved as equal partners.
“Local authorities cannot be brought in at the end of the process and asked to rubber-stamp decisions already made in Dublin or in any other capital city,” Mr Mullooly said.
“If a plan affects local services, rural development, housing delivery, fisheries communities, transport, regional investment or basic infrastructure, then local and regional bodies must be equal partners from the start.”
The Midlands-North-West MEP said his amendments include a strong focus on employment, viable livelihoods, rural enterprise, agriculture, fisheries, housing delivery, disability access, women’s participation, LEADER and Just Transition.
He said the package is about protecting farming and fishing as real livelihoods, supporting local enterprise and services, improving rural transport and digital connectivity, and ensuring communities affected by decarbonisation have access to replacement jobs, retraining, enterprise supports and long-term opportunity.
Mr Mullooly’s amendments also seek to ensure that Member States concentrate resources on reducing economic, social and territorial disparities, particularly in less developed regions and in rural, peripheral and border regions facing persistent structural challenges.
“This is about making sure regions like the Midlands-North-West are not left behind in the next EU budget,” he said.
“We need a funding model that recognises the reality of life in rural, coastal, island, border and peripheral regions, not one designed only around national averages.”
The MEP is also seeking a visible and ring-fenced Just Transition Fund, including a dedicated chapter, a separate Just Transition Plan where applicable, a managing authority or coordinating structure, and a €7.5 billion allocation in line with the 2021 to 2027 period.
He said this was essential for communities affected by decarbonisation, restructuring or major site closures, including areas around Shannonbridge, Lanesborough and former Bord na Móna operations.
“Just Transition cannot be allowed to disappear into a general funding pot,” Mr Mullooly said.
“This is about jobs, replacement enterprise, community resilience and accountability. If Europe asks regions to carry the cost of the climate transition, then Europe must also guarantee that those regions have a clear plan, clear funding and a clear delivery structure.”
Mr Mullooly has also tabled amendments to protect LEADER, local action groups and community-led local development.
He said LEADER must remain visible, properly funded and locally delivered, adding that future plans should show how they will support farm and non-farm rural enterprises, improve access to finance, and deliver rural healthcare, transport, education, digital connectivity, basic services and local infrastructure.
“LEADER works because it is local, practical and community-led,” he said.
“If Europe is serious about rural development, then LEADER must remain visible, properly funded and locally delivered.”
Housing is another major focus of the amendment package. Mr Mullooly, who is Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Housing Crisis Committee, is seeking to recognise access to decent, safe, affordable and accessible housing as a fundamental social priority.
His amendments would require NRP Plans to address housing needs, delivery constraints, affordability issues and investment priorities for social, affordable, student and accessible housing, with attention to vulnerable households, young people, persons with disabilities and low and middle-income workers.
“The housing crisis is one of the defining social and economic challenges facing Ireland and Europe,” he said.
“EU funding cannot treat housing as an afterthought.”
Mr Mullooly said his amendments were informed by his work across the Midlands-North-West, including meetings with communities, farmers, women in agriculture, local authorities, coastal communities and those living in Just Transition areas.
“That is what these amendments are about: listening, action, preserving what works, changing what does not, and making sure European funding reaches the people and places that need it most,” he said.
