About | Irish Regions European Office

About Irish Regions European Office

The Irish Regions European Office (IREO) is a specialised support service which acts as a bridge between Irish local and regional government and the European Union, explaining and guiding its stakeholders through the Brussels scene and promoting Irish interests and best practices at the European level.

Who we are

The Irish Regions European Office is based in Brussels and represents the three Regional Assemblies and 31 local authorities of Ireland.

Operating as part of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly and with the support of the Department for Housing, Planning and Local Government, our focus is on bringing the EU closer to the wider local government sector and vice versa.

Location

Irish Regions European Office
5th Floor
Rue Froissart 50
B-1040 Bruxelles

+32 (0) 2 2331122

info@ireo.eu

What we do

IREO has four main functions by which it seeks to provide timely and relevant guidance and advisory services to stakeholders in order to inform and facilitate their individual and collective understanding of and engagement in European activities:

Policy – to monitor and report on relevant EU policy developments and enable input into the policy-making process where possible.
Committee of the Regions – to provide the secretariat to the Irish delegation to the Committee of the Regions and to work to enhance the strategic linkages between their activities and the priorities of Irish local and regional government.
Funding and financing – to highlight opportunities and assist with the development of quality involvement in EU funding programmes and initiatives.
Networking – to represent our stakeholders’ interests by identifying and engaging with decision-makers and by participating in collaborative value-added activity including relevant European networks, associations and partnerships.

Being based in Brussels gives us a practical advantage and enables us to:

Pinpoint contacts and identify relevant decision-makers.
Open doors and engage with key Institutional interlocutors in the European Commission, the European Parliament and Ireland’s Permanent Representation
Organise targeted study visits for our stakeholders
Network and build alliance with other European local and regional authorities and European associations (CPMR, ERRIN…).
Represent our stakeholders’ interests at working/advisory groups, thematic and regional fora and project meetings.

Role of Regional Assemblies

Following on from the enactment of the Local Government Reform Act 2014, three new Regional Assemblies came into effect on 1st January 2015, namely the Southern Regional Assembly, the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly.

Both the Southern Assembly and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly are managing authorities for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managing respectively the Southern and Eastern Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 and the Border, Midland and Western Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020. All three Regional Assemblies also provide national contact points for European Territorial Cooperation Programmes and participate on those programmes’ monitoring committees.

Other key duties of the assemblies are to:

Co-ordinate, promote and support strategic planning and sustainable development of the region
Prepare, adopt and implement the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES).
Ensure consistency with RSES in relation to the Local Economic and Community Plans of the constituent Local Authorities.
Identify, participate in and co-ordinate certain EU projects.
Support the work of the National Oversight and Audit Commission.

Who we do this for

Regional Assemblies Local Authorities The Irish delegation to the CoR

The three Regional Assemblies’ staff and elected representatives

The 31 Irish Local Authorities’ staff and elected representatives

The Irish delegation to the CoR

Meet the team

Teresa Lennon

Head of the Irish Regions European Office

Agata Kolodynska

EU Support Officer

Latest

March 11, 2020/by admin-ireo

Final WiFi4EU Call launches 17th March

Municipalities across the EU will have a final chance to apply…

February 19, 2020/by admin-ireo

Young Elected Politicians – Call for Applications now open

January 31, 2020/by admin-ireo

MATCH-UP good practices handbook

January 28, 2020/by admin-ireo

News from IREO

December 11, 2019/by admin-ireo

Have your say – Peace Plus Stakeholder Events

Tweets

Retweet on Twitter Irish Regions European Office in Brussels Retweeted

We express our heartfelt gratitude to all medical & civil protection staff and volunteers across the 🇪🇺 #EU, who are working tirelessly to combat #COVID19. THANK YOU!

#StayAtHome #FlattenTheCurve #WeStandTogether

#funding ALERT! @inea_eu 4th and FINAL #WiFi4EU call opens on 17th March for one day only. This is the last chance for localities to secure vouchers to install #wifi in public areas. Details below:
https://www.ireo.eu/final-wifi4eu-call-launches-17th-march/

Retweet on Twitter Irish Regions European Office in Brussels Retweeted

Thanks to the #WiFiEU initiative and the four vouchers received by Tipperary , this morning as Mayor, I signed contracts that will see super fast broadband go live across 6 town centers including Clonmel in May2020 @EU_CoR @tippcoco @DG_Connect @EPP_CoR @TippFmNews #broadband

Call for applications to the Young Elected Politicians programme is now open! More details below:
https://www.ireo.eu/yep-call-for-applications/

Retweet on Twitter Irish Regions European Office in Brussels Retweeted

Congratulations to @katefeeneyFF (@fiannafailparty) 🇮🇪, re-elected as our Group Coordinator for the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC): http://bit.ly/2SETLDf!

Congratulations to Cllr Michael Murphy @cllrmmurphytipp, Head of the Irish Delegation to the @EU_CoR who has just been appointed to the role as President of the ECON Commission.

We're delighted to welcome our Irish @EU_CoR members for their first plenary session and look forward to our work ahead in advancing regional priorities during the next mandate.

And we're off with the first plenary session of the new @EU_CoR Mandate! Warm welcome to all returning and new Irish Members.

Retweet on Twitter Irish Regions European Office in Brussels Retweeted

Good news for Ireland Wales collaborations with new projects announced involving @AberUni @BangorUni with @UCC and other partners - @walesintheworld @IrishRegions_EU @WalesinIreland @irelandinwales https://twitter.com/IrelandWales/status/1226818846989918208

Retweet on Twitter Irish Regions European Office in Brussels Retweeted

Excellent meeting today with @BusinessEurope on #Trade & #FTAs. “Taking on board the business community is a key factor in helping me to frame the @EPP_CoR opinion on Trade, which is critical for delivering a sustainable economic growth for our regions & cities” @cllrmmurphytipp

POLICY

The European Union adopts legislation in a number of areas that have a direct impact on Member States and on local and regional authorities.

COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Established in 1994, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) is an EU advisory body composed of 350 local and regional elected representatives.

FUNDING & FINANCING

To help achieve its various policy objectives, the European Union provides financial support for activities to be undertaken by organisations, including local and regional authorities.

NETWORKING & EVENTS

One of the four key functions of the Irish Regions European Office is to enable local and regional actors to make the most of having their own permanent physical presence at the heart of Europe with all that entails in terms of tapping into useful connections.