I propose to take Questions Nos. 904, 905, 906, 909, 911, 916, 922, 928, 930 and 941 together.
The new ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.
The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines from the EU Commission. It is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced. The previous State Aid Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas also expired on 31 December 2022 and have now been replaced with a revised version as of 01 January 2023.
The introduction of these revised guidelines meant that a formal application for State Aid could not have been submitted to the European Commission until the revised guidelines were in place, i.e. before January 2023.
The Department has been engaging proactively and intensively with the EU Commission over the last few months in order to secure approval. I can advise that to this effect, my Department has responded in detail to each written correspondence relating to this notification and expect a final reply in coming weeks.
Once State Aid approval is received, we will be in a position to launch new forestry schemes, subject to finalization of the Strategic Environmental Assessment.
The launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter of the utmost priority for my Department. As you will be aware, a comprehensive and well-subscribed Forestry Programme has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for climate change, biodiversity, wood production, economic development and quality of life.