April eNewsletter

Sean Kelly MEP Newsletter, April 2010

[email protected] Tel: 061-468788 1

A chairde,

Welcome to my April newsletter. I hope that any of you who had travel problems with the volcanic ash cloud got to your destinations safely and without too much discomfort.

In the European Parliament, I have been continuing my work on the International Fund for Ireland Report. The EU has contributed over €800 million to promoting peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland since the establishment of the Fund in 1986.

The outcome to date has been a resounding success, but peace is a fragile thing so there is still more work to be done.

Back home, I have been busy attending such diverse meetings as the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party meeting in Dublin, Buttevant Secondary School where I launched their Healthy Eating Week, farmers' meetings and the Fine Gael function in Kenmare Bay Hotel where certificates were awarded to life-long voluntary workers for the party - a lovely and much-appreciated gesture.

I had the pleasure of attending the launch of the Cork Ladies' Soccer League, presenting awards to the Desmond Ladies' League, attending and witnessing the defeat (unfortunately) of my alma mater St. Brendan's College in the Hogan Cup Final.

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Also after two days of travelling I made it via Brussels, Paris, Lille, Calais, Dover, London, Cardiff, Swansea, Fishguard, Rosslare and Dublin to Newcastle, Co. Down, for the GAA's Annual Congress.

I was pleased to speak in support of motions to keep Croke Park open permanently (my own club Kilcummin sponsored such a motion) and also give official recognition to the GPA.

Finally, I attended the funeral of Leitrim Inter-County footballer Philly McGuinness in Mohill. Ar dheis Dé raibh a anam.

As always, if you have any comments or questions do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

Le gach dea-ghuí,

Sean Kelly.

In this month's newsletter:

Page 3: Youth Unemployment - Help Young People Get Their Foot in the Door

Page 5: Good News on the Jobs Front -87 High Quality Jobs Created at Tyndall Institute in Cork

Page 6: Agriculture: Place Ceiling and Floor under CAP Payments

Page 7: Intelligent Energy Funding Opportunities

Page 8: THE accidental and sudden death of Leitrim inter-county footballer, Philly McGuinness sent shock waves through the GAA community.

Page 10: Jargon Buster - Financial Perspectives




Party Leader Enda Kenny Pictured at YFG Jobs Campaign Launch

Youth Unemployment - Help Young People Get Their Foot in the Door - Introduce a National Internship Programme

Youth Unemployment stands at 21% in Ireland, almost twice as high as the general unemployment rate. We need a radical overhaul of Ireland's attitude to youth employment to tackle this shocking figure.

It is simply not good enough that young people in Ireland are left with emigration as the only option to make a start in their careers.

We are losing thousands of the flowers of our youth to foreign shores, providing the human capital for economic growth for Australia, Canada and other far flung lands.

There is a 'do-nothing' approach by the Government in the face of this crisis. It is accepted as the 'done thing' that we lose our youth to emigration - an Irish solution to an Irish problem.

We need to urgently bring forward a National Internship Programme in the public and private sectors to give young people a chance to gain vital experience in the working world.

This already exists in Germany and the US and is a 50 year old programme in the European Commission.



We need to give our youth a chance to get their foot in the door of the working world. For a monthly stipend, they gain invaluable experience which will benefit their search for jobs in the new economy.

There is a template in place, a model to follow so I call on the Government to implement it with haste.

In the meantime, I advise young Irish people interested in the EU to apply for the European Commission Traineeship Programme: http://ec.europa.eu/stages/index_en.htm

Further Information:

5.5 million young people in the EU under 25 are currently unemployed

21.4 %of all young people in the EU are unemployed

80 million job opportunities will arise in the EU in the next decade, the majority of which will require a high skilled workforce;

employment rate for people with high skill levels is approximately 85 %, for medium skill levels 70 %and for low skill levels 50 %,

http://ec.europa.eu/stages/index_en.htm



Offshore Windfarms - The Way Forward

Good News on the Jobs Front - 87 High Quality Jobs Created at Tyndall Institute in Cork

We have almost become accustomed to the bitter announcements of jobs losses which have blighted our land.

However, amidst the gloom comes the announcement of a €35 million investment and the creation of 87 high quality jobs at the Tyndall National Institute in Cork.

A new International Energy Research Centre and a new research facility for American company United Technologies Corporation have given a welcome boost to Cork.

These sorts of high tech jobs in the area of energy research and clean technologies are just what we need to drive our economy to recovery and should be the focus of our public policy.

Less NAMA and more IERC should be the name of the game!

Well done to the hard work carried out behind the scenes by all at the Tyndall Centre in UCC.



Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, Mé Féin, Jim Nicholson MEP

Agriculture: Place Ceiling and Floor under CAP Payments

We need to ensure that fairness applies in the area of the Single Farm Payment. One idea worth pursuing is placing ceilings and floors on the SingleFarm Payment.

The social and economic benefits of the small family farm cannot be highlighted enough.

I have met recently with new Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, who has agreed with me on this point.

Surveys have shown that 90% of EU citizens agree that we should support agriculture, so we need to take advantage of this broad support to push forward a fair system for the Single Farm Payment.

Therefore we need to look seriously at placing a ceiling on SFP at somewhere around €100,000, with a similar floor put in place as well.

This would go some way to guaranteeing livelihoods for smaller farmers, whilst preventing income support payments to large farms which are more predominant on the Continent.

We need to make sure that CAP serves not just big businesses but rather focuses on the small family-run farm, which is integral to maintenance of sustainable rural life.



Intelligent Energy Funding Opportunities

County and City Councils in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford can benefit from a new round of funding announced recently by the European Commission.

The key to any economic recovery in Ireland is developing new energy infrastructure, creating jobs and fostering greater energy independence.

Tipperary North County Council has led the way with the SERVE project which includes Cloughjordan Eco Village - there is huge scope for other local authorities in Munster to follow their lead.

Therefore I am delighted to highlight the recent announcement by the European Commission of three new funding programmes.

SAVE seeks to promote energy efficiency in buildings.

STEER seeks to promotes clean transportation.

ALTENER seeks to promote renewables in the construction sector.

There are also funding opportunities for networking and capacity building among city and county councils and the opportunity to learn best practice from leading local authorities across Europe.

As a Member of the Regional Development Committee in the European Parliament, it is my aim to foster innovative smart growth at the local and regional level through uptake of these schemes.

Therefore I call on our local authorities to take full advantage of these opportunities.

Further information available at: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/call_for_proposals/doc/wp2010_en.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/call_for_proposals/doc/wp2010_en.pdf



THE accidental and sudden death of Leitrim inter-county footballer, Philly McGuinness sent shock waves through the GAA community.

It was hard to comprehend that a single moment of impact between Philly’s head and an opponent’s knee could have had such devastating consequences. It was probably a one in a billion chance. One inch higher or lower, one millimetre backwards or forwards or one second sooner or later and the impact wouldn’t have been so tragic. A similar clash occurred between Brian O’Driscoll’s head and Paul O’Connell’s knee in a recent rugby international.

I made it to the funeral in Mohill and even though it was a sad and sombre occasion one had to be proud of the way gaels from all over the country made the effort to attend. Club players from all over Leitrim were there in their club colours. Particularly, prominent were his own playing colleagues from Mohill and the players from Melvin Gaels, their opponents when the tragic accident occurred.

Philly’s Leitrim inter-county colleagues were dressed in their green and gold track suits led by their manager Mickey Moran. The route from church to graveyard was lined with players and school-children and townspeople. Many camogie players and hurlers had their hurleys as a reminder that Philly was a hurler as well as a footballer.

Mohill on Thursday last was the perfect example of dignity in grief, organisation in sympathy and utmost respect and consideration for the



bereaved family. The McGuinness family were steeped in the GAA. Philly’s late father, Michael was an outstanding footballer – so good, in fact, that he was selected on the Leitrim team of the millennium. He died suddenly at 50 years of age, 12 years ago, leaving Philly’s mother, Phil, to raise the three boys through their teenage years.

The brave woman did a great job as John, Michael and Philly turned out to be fine fellows and fine footballers. Incidentally, John and Philly were leap year babies – born February 29.

Like most players, their club was their life. Philly was the star of the family. The fact that he was selected on the Connacht U17 squad that toured Australia in 2001 underlines what an exceptional talent he was. It was said that all he ever wanted was to play football and enjoy it. His great moment came when he and his brothers were part of the Mohill team that won the Leitrim SFC in 2006. It was Mohill’s first success in 35 years and so they followed in their father’s footsteps as he was playing in that victory in 1971.

Only two weeks ago, Philly lined out for his county against Limerick in the Allianz League and was as industrious as ever. He was tallish with a light frame – what you might call "wirey" – and the lively gait of an active young farmer.

His dedication to the GAA knew no bounds. It was said that speed ramps were put on the road between his school and his house, to slow down the sliotar as he pucked it before him on his way to and from school.

It reminded me so much of Cormac McAnallen’s funeral. Cormac died suddenly in his bed six years previously. The nation mourned the loss of a great young man. The same dignity in sadness, beauty in grief that engulfed the air at Eglish in 2004 was palpable in Mohil – Philly had achieved a lot but would surely have achieved a lot more only for a most rare accident.

His death also reminded us of the great organisation the GAA is. Philly’s tragedy underlined the Association’s organisational ability and its pride in its heroes. Cork captain Michael Shields remembered Philly in his victory speech on Sunday. A fitting and lovely gesture.



Jargon Buster - Financial Perspectives

Much talk in Brussels these times is about the new Financial Perspectives for the next budgetary period, 2013-2020.

One might think it a bit soon to be discussing money 3 years in advance, but things are done methodically and rigorously when it comes to money in the EU.

27 different member states want to make sure that the balance is right, hence the length of time it takes to agree the "financial perspectives".

So what are these financial perspectives? Basically, a 7 year outline budget is agreed, with agreed proportions devoted to each sector, such as agriculture, research or regional development.

These proportions represent slices of the EU pie. Therefore, financial perspectives show us how big a slice of the pie agriculture or research or any other sector gets of the budget over the 7 years.

So, when one hears of negotiations about financial perspectives one now knows that this is a very important deal! How much of the pie devoted to agriculture, for example, could play a crucial part in the future viability of the family farm in Ireland.

I hope I have given you the "right perspective" on another bit of EU Jargon!

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