Whats the role of the E.U. in the National Development Plan (N.D.P.)?
Ireland’s National Development for the period 2000-2006 was submitted to the Commission in November 1999 as the basis for the Community Support Framework negotiations. Unlike the two previous Plans, which were drafted exclusively for the purpose of securing E.U. Structural Funds, the N.D.P. is broader in its scope and size and is designed to address a wider range of infrastructural, economic and social needs, with Structural Funds accounting for only 10% of planned investment and the bulk of the funding coming from domestic sources. The National Development Plan and the Community Support Framework are therefore being implemented as an integrated investment plan and strategy for economic and social development for the period 2000-2006.
