Quarter of a million available to promote the EU (26/2/09)

February 26, 2009 at 4:56 pm Leave a comment

Grants totalling almost €250,000 are still available for voluntary groups and educational bodies interested in raising awareness of Ireland’s EU membership. The focus of this year’s funding under the Communicating Europe initiative will be on projects to celebrate Europe Day, which falls on May 9th. Europe Day marks the anniversary of the historic speech made by former French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950, when he called for European countries to pool their coal and steel production, paving the way for the development of the EU.
Last year, Europe Day was celebrated in Dublin by a host of diverse events from an outdoor concert in Rathfarnham Castle, to a children’s sports festival in the inner city, to a model European Parliament created by transition year students. Dublin MEP Eoin Ryan has welcomed the funding initiative, and encouraged organisations to apply for funding for Europe-related projects before the deadline on March 6th. ‘By raising awareness of the EU, people can gain an insight into the work we are doing in the European Parliament and indeed how the European Union works for the people of Ireland,’ said the Fianna Fáil MEP.