Tag Archives: EU

THE reopening of Ryanair’s base in Shannon Airport on April 21 has been lauded as a major boost for tourism-related businesses throughout Clare, which have been very badly hit by Covid-19. Speaking to the Clare Champion in Shannon Airport, Shannon Group chief executive officer, Mary Considine said the recommencement of 14 routes from Shannon next April is a “big boost for business in the region”. “Talking to businesses, they need to get their people back out travelling in the market place once it is safe to do so. “We have seen first hand the devastation caused not only by the pandemic but the lack of international visitors into the country and the impact it has had on all these businesses. “There will be a lot of hoteliers, tourism and hospitality providers who will be relieved to see this Ryanair base is back and that we have some services next year. “As we rebuild from the devastation of the pandemic this …

SINCE the coronavirus pandemic struck, Ireland and the EU have taken unprecedented measures to protect lives and livelihoods. The EU supported national efforts to tackle the health crisis and cushion the impact of the massive economic hit. It freed up every available euro in its budget and used every inch of flexibility in its economic rules. This helped finance EU safety nets of €540 billion, including the new SURE instrument, to help people stay in work and to support hard-pressed families and businesses. Now is the time for our European Union to look ahead and act together to repair the damage, re-start the economy and build a better and more sustainable future for the next generation. No country in Europe, including Ireland, can do this work alone. We must walk the road together. To this end, the European Commission proposed on May 27 a radical and historic € 1.85 trillion recovery plan. At its core is a €750 billion instrument, …

Employment Affairs & Social Protection Minister, Regina Doherty has urged local charities to avail of the food products that are made available for people in need, through the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD). The Minister was on a visit to the FoodCloud Hubs facility that stores such food products and manages their distribution. She met with representatives of a number of charities that already avail of the EU initiative through FEAD and heard their views on its benefits for financially disadvantaged people. The total value of FEAD up to 2020 in Ireland is €26.7m, €4 m of which comes from the Irish Exchequer. Almost two-thirds of the funding is applied to the provision of food with the remaining going to the provision of basic material assistance. Minister Doherty said, “In addition to the provision of food aid, my department is working with partner organisations to deliver basic material aid. For example, using FEAD funding, the Mid-West …

MORE and more Clare people are moving their shopping habits online, choosing to purchase items from the comfort of their own home, rather than making their way to the shops. Online sales have been growing steadily year on year and are expected to be an even more integral part of the marketplace in 2018. Recent phenomena like Black Friday and Cyber Monday have moved across the Atlantic and are now a firm fixture of the festive season in the Banner County. The trend towards increased cyber shopping was highlighted in recent statistics released by the Ennis-based Retail Excellence Ireland, showing that customers browsing for goods using their mobile phones in December increased by 60% on last year. However, now that the tinsel has been taken down, what do you do when there is a problem with the product you bought online in the lead up to Christmas? According to Paul Woulfe, manager of the Clare Citizens’ Information Centre, there are …

Clare County Council has been granted funding close on €400,000 from the EU to lure young people into considering maritime-related careers. The local authority’s Social Development Directorate, through its remit to increase overall participation levels in sport and physical activity, has been awarded the EU Erasmus+ programme funding as part of the Atlantic Youth Project. “As the only Irish partner in the European-wide project, Clare County Council is tasked with encouraging and developing the maritime culture of young Europeans, through the practice of water sports and maritime education at school,” explained Tim Forde, head of sport and recreation with Clare County Council. “Over the three-year term of this project, the local authority will facilitate the involvement of a significant number of second level school children with opportunities to participate in water sports in our county, whilst also participating in organised maritime education opportunities that will be EU-funded.” Mr Forde and Liam Conneally, director of social development, Clare County Council, represented …

MINISTER for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen is in Estonia today (Monday) for a series of bilateral meetings. These meetings form part of an ongoing programme of engagement by Irish government ministers with EU member states in an effort to build awareness of the unique impacts of Brexit on Ireland and to hear fellow Member state views regarding Brexit. To date there have been over 400 engagements undertaken by the Irish Government with remaining EU member states and the EU institutions regarding Brexit. Mr Breen’s schedule includes meetings with Ms Urve Palo, the Estonian Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology, and Jevgeni Ossinovski, the Minister for Health and Labour.

MINISTER for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen is in Estonia today (Monday) for a series of bilateral meetings. These meetings form part of an ongoing programme of engagement by Irish government ministers with EU member states in an effort to build awareness of the unique impacts of Brexit on Ireland and to hear fellow Member state views regarding Brexit. To date there have been over 400 engagements undertaken by the Irish Government with remaining EU member states and the EU institutions regarding Brexit. Mr Breen’s schedule includes meetings with Ms Urve Palo, the Estonian Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology, and Jevgeni Ossinovski, the Minister for Health and Labour.

MINISTER for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen is in Estonia today (Monday) for a series of bilateral meetings. These meetings form part of an ongoing programme of engagement by Irish government ministers with EU member states in an effort to build awareness of the unique impacts of Brexit on Ireland and to hear fellow Member state views regarding Brexit. To date there have been over 400 engagements undertaken by the Irish Government with remaining EU member states and the EU institutions regarding Brexit. Mr Breen’s schedule includes meetings with Ms Urve Palo, the Estonian Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology, and Jevgeni Ossinovski, the Minister for Health and Labour.