State aid and forestry in Ireland
1.3.2023
Priority question for written answer P-000679/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Chris MacManus (The Left)
Support measures for those engaged in Irish afforestation expired in December 2022. The Irish government had claimed that this was due to the State aid approval process and that the draft Forestry Programme 2023–2027 was subject to further consultation as part of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA).
The Irish government claimed an SEA was done as part of securing State aid approval from the Commission and that the Department is integrating feedback from that process prior to submitting the programme to the Commission for formal approval. Afforestation funding was therefore unavailable as they suggested it was the Commission’s fault as the previous State aid guidelines in the agricultural/forestry sectors and in rural areas expired on 31 December 2022 and were replaced with a revised version in January 2023.
Can the Commission confirm:
- 1.What Member States have State aid exemptions in place for afforestation and for what years is the exemption/programme applicable?
- 2.Can the Commission confirm whether the Irish government could have applied for a State aid exemption for its new forestry programme in 2020, 2021 and 2022, or was it was obliged to wait until new rules were in place in 2023?
- 3.Is an SEA obligatory or essential for securing State aid approval for forestry?
Submitted: 1.3.2023