EU Funding

Thursday, 16 April 2026

Questions (159)

Colm Burke

Question:

159. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm that serious consideration will be given to a group's application (details supplied) for funding under the Communicating Europe Initiative; when decisions on funding are likely to be made under this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27805/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Communicating Europe Initiative (CEI) is a scheme administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide Government funding to voluntary organisations, educational bodies and civil society groups, for projects intended to deepen public awareness of the role that the European Union plays in our daily lives. The initiative also supports the work of local authorities in bringing EU issues closer to citizens at community level, recognising the important role they play in connecting European policy with the everyday concerns of people across the country. The initiative reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring that Irish citizens are informed about and engaged with the work of the EU and Ireland’s role within it.

This year’s CEI was publicly launched on 24 February 2026, the application closing date, which was extended, was 31 March. The budget allocation for CEI 2026 is €775,000, an increase from €400,000 in 2025.

Applications received under the current funding round are assessed through an established evaluation process. This process considers a range of criteria, including the quality and reach of proposed activities, the potential to engage communities, and their alignment with the overall objectives of the initiative. All applications received are given careful and equal consideration on their individual merits in the context of a competitive grant round.

As the evaluation of applications is currently ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment on any individual application at this time. Decisions on the current round of funding will be communicated to applicants in due course, once the assessment process has concluded.