Regions of Ireland:
the Southern & Eastern Region (NUTS II)
Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly |
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Contact: Mr. Stephen Blair (Director) Email: sblair@seregassembly.ie Web: www.seregassembly.ie Address: Assembly House, O'Connell St., Waterford Tel: +353-51-860700 Fax: +353-51-879887 |
Profile of the Region
The Southern & Eastern Region covers a land area of 36,414 km² and comprises 5 constituent NUTS III Regional Authority areas (Dublin, Mid-East, Mid-West, South-East and South West) covering 20 Local Authority areas (16 counties and 4 cities). The region has a predominantly urban population which is concentrated in a relatively small number of centres, the largest of which is the Dublin metropolitan area. The rise in population over the past number of years, particularly in Dublin but also in the other major urban centres has placed huge strains on infrastructural services and has lead to greater demands for investment in areas such as housing, water supply, sanitary services, roads, public transport, telecommunications, education and energy. Outside the larger urban centres there are many smaller towns and villages which are lagging behind in terms of economic development, and which require investment in infrastructural facilities and urban and village renewal in order to increase their attractiveness as places to live and work. Such investment will encourage more spatially balanced socio-economic development and will ease capacity constraints in the major urban centres. The economic structure of the Region is broadly similar to that of the State as a whole. However, statistics are largely influenced by the strong economic performance of the Dublin Region over the past number of years. A priority for the region, therefore, is to ensure that the blueprint for development set out in Ireland's National Spatial Strategy is fully implemented to ensure that future economic growth can be more evenly distributed throughout the Region.
Socio-Economic Data
NUTS level |
II |
|
Area (sq. kms) |
36,414 |
|
% of area of State |
53% |
|
Population |
3,101,200 |
|
% of national population |
73.2% |
|
Population density (persons/sq km) |
85.2 |
|
Regional capital (town/city) |
Dublin city |
|
Population |
1,185,400 |
|
Regional GDP (2003) |
€34,793 |
|
GDP (% of State, 2002) |
111.1% |
|
GDP (% of EU25 average)(2003) |
147.5% |
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Workforce |
1,568,200 |
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Unemployment rate (March 2005) |
4.3% |
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Employment in key industries: |
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1. Agriculture (% of total) |
5.1% |
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2. Industry (% of total) |
26.9% |
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3. Services (% of total) |
67.9% |
Regional Structures
The Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly was established in 1999 under the regionalisation arrangements negotiated by the Irish authorities in the context of the Agenda 2000 agreement. It came into effect on the 21st July 1999 under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1999.
The S&E Assembly comprises of 41 elected representatives nominated by the Local & Regional Authorities within the Region and their principal functions are:
- Managing and monitoring the EU Regional Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Employment 2007-2013 focussed on Innovation & the Knowledge Economy; Environment & Accessibility; and Sustainable Urban Development. This follows from the Assembly's role in managing the implementation of the €5.3 billion 2000-2006 Regional Operational Programmes under the National Development Plan which made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of the Region in terms of Local Infrastructure, Local Enterprise, Agriculture and Rural Development and Social Inclusion and Childcare;
- Promoting the co-ordination of public services in the region;
- Monitoring & making proposals in relation to the general impact in the region of EU funding;
- Making public bodies aware of the regional implications of their policies & plans.
- Undertaking key roles in relation to the EU Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) programmes, including that of Managing & Certifying Authority for the Ireland-Wales programme.
Regional Priorities
The Southern & Eastern Region has a wide mixture of economic and social priorities to pursue and develop. In economic terms, the Region’s main strengths are its successful industrial base (particularly in areas such as ICT, pharmaceuticals, biotech and chemicals); its high level of disposable incomes and GVA per head compared with many other European regions; the highly-skilled and educated workforce and relatively low rates of unemployment. However, there is a widely-recognised infrastructural deficit which is inhibiting the region from reaching its full potential. These deficits were addressed through the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2000-2006 which sought to enhance the quality of the Region’s road and rail network, establish a modern ICT infrastructure, improve airport and sea-port access and the develop modern environmental infrastructure across the Region.
While employment growth remains strong and unemployment is low historically in comparison with other European regions, many serious social issues had to be addressed under the Region’s Operational Programme and the other National Operational Programmes under the NDP. A range of interventions were specifically targeted at promoting greater social inclusion, particularly with regard to marginalised and disadvantaged sections of society. Another significant issue being addressed through the Regional Programme was increasing the availability of childcare facilities. Environmental issues such as waste and water management were also addressed as well as broader issues such as planning/spatial matters and balanced regional development.
European Priorities
The Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly will continue to maximise the use of EU funding and partnerships/cooperation to promote sustainable development in the region. In particular it will use the opportunity of Structural Funds support in the 2007-2013 period, under the Competitiveness and Employment Objective, to work with EU partners to promote regional research, innovation and entrepreneurship; to foster a new sustainable development ethic; to improve accessibility across the Region; and generally to strengthen the Region’s competitiveness and attractiveness in order to to facilitate progress in the economies and labour forces of the region’s industrial, urban and rural areas, taking into account existing economic, social and territorial disparities.
The Assembly will also aim to further strengthen cross-border cooperation through joint local initiatives, and inter-regional and territorial cooperation by means of actions conducive to integrated territorial development linked to the Community priorities, and through networking and exchange of experience at the appropriate territorial level.
European Experience
The Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly has considerable experience in implementing and overseeing the implementation of EU programmes and initiatives within the region. In addition to being the Managing Authority for the Regional Operation Programme under the Community Support Framework for 2000-2006 and the Objective 2 Regional Operational Programme for 2007-2013, the Assembly was also the Managing Authority for the Southern & Eastern Regional Innovative Actions Programme (funded through the European Regional Development Fund from 2000-2006).
In a new role as Managing Authority and Certifying Authority for the Ireland-Wales Territorial Co-operation Programme 2007-2013 , the Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly hosts the Joint Technical Secretariat for the programme having previously hosted the programme's Contact Point in Ireland under IIIA. It also continues to host the National Contact Point for the North West Europe Interreg IVB programme. The Assembly represents Ireland on the Monitoring and Steering Committees of both these programmes as well as the Interreg IVC inter-regional programme and will also be formally involved in the Atlantic Area and the new Northern Periphery Transnational Programmes..
As an active project partner, the Assembly has recently been involved in initiatives on the themes of "Regional Actors Experiences of Interreg" (Re-Act, under Interract) and "Fostering Regional SME Competitiveness through Innovation and ICT" (ESTIIC, a Regional Framework Operation under Interreg IIIC).
Part of the Assembly’s remit is also to monitor the impact of developments at the EU level on the Southern & Eastern Region as a whole. The Assembly carries out this function in conjunction with the Irish Regions Office in Brussels.
Example of EU Project
Project title: Innovation and Information Society Regional Framework Operation
EU Programme: Interreg IIIC
Project Description:
The Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly, along with three other Regions, has agreed to participate in a Regional Framework Operation (RFO) under the Interreg IIIC programme. The RFO will run for three years from July 2005 to June 2008.
The RFO will establish a framework for the development of technology-driven innovation and information society initiatives. The objectives of the RFO include developing methods to assist SME’s gain better access to technological and training expertise, promoting the development of innovation networks and clusters, establishing common foresight systems to support better planning of regional innovation strategies and developing initiatives to strengthen regional broadband strategies and to stimulate broadband usage. The Lead Partner in the RFO is the Asturias Region in Spain. The other partners are North Rhine-Westphala (Germany) and Cantabria (Spain).
The Funding: €4,430,800
EU Contributioin: €3,045,600
Contact details:
Mr Ivan Grimes
Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly
Assembly House
O’Connell Street
Waterford
Ireland
Tel - 00 353 51 391764
E-mail: igrimes@seregassembly.ie
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