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About Us

The Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly (S&ERA)

In 1999, two regions were established in Ireland to create a more balanced approach to the design and delivery of EU-funded programmes. Creating the two regions allowed for the particular needs of each region to be taken into account when designing EU co-funded programmes. The regions are the Southern and Eastern (S&E) Region and the Border Midland and Western (BMW) Region.

An assembly was set up in each region to oversee a programme of investment. The Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly is the managing authority tasked with monitoring the S&E regional programme.

Forty one councillors are appointed to the Assembly in the S&E region. They are not directly elected but nominated by their respective local & regional authorities.

S&E Regional Assembly Members

The councillors are supported by 24 staff members based at the Assembly headquarters in Waterford City, 9 of whom work in the Ireland Wales Programme Joint Technical Secretariat.

What geographical areas do we cover?

There are five Regional Authority areas in the Southern & Eastern region:

Regional Authority Area         Counties/Cities

Dublin Region                           Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin

South-East Region                  Carlow, South Tipperary, Waterford City and County, Wexford, Kilkenny

South-West Region                 Cork City and County, Kerry

Mid-West Region                     Clare, Limerick City and County, North Tipperary

Mid-East Region                      Kildare, Meath, Wicklow

 

The Assembly is co-funded by the Irish exchequer and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in carrying out its functions as the Managing Authority for the Regional Programme.

What do we do?

The Assembly’s main functions are to:

  • Manage and monitor the Regional Programme 2007-2013;
  • Promote the co-ordination of public services in the region;
  • Monitor and make proposals in relation to the general impact in the region of EU funding;
  • Make public bodies aware of the regional implications of their policies and plans.

The Assembly normally meets on the second Friday of every second month at its headquarters in Waterford.

A Monitoring Committee, consisting of representatives from all the prescribed groups, meets annually to review the effectiveness and quality of the implementation of the themes under the Regional Programme. The Regional Assembly provides the Chair and Secretariat for the Monitoring Committee of the Southern & Eastern Regional Programme.

Regional Programme 2007-2013

The Regional Programme 2007-2013 focuses on three main areas:

  • Innovation & the Knowledge Economy
  • Environment & Accessibility
  • Sustainable Urban Development.

The Programme was formally approved by the EU Commission in October 2007 and officially launched in Ireland by the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Mr. Brian Cowen T.D., in December 2007.

More about the Regional Programme 2007-2013 can be read here.

What else do we do?

We have a role to play in a number of transnational programmes collectively called European Territorial Co-operation Programmes (ETCP). These programmes are co-funded by the ERDF and were formerly known as Interreg programmes. The programmes are an integral part of the EU’s Cohesion policy. The Assembly’s role ranges from managing the programme to acting as the Irish contact point or providing the first level financial control function.

We are the Managing and Certifying Authority for the Ireland/Wales Territorial Co-operation Programme 2007-2013. We were appointed to this role on 1st January 2007, taking over from the Welsh Assembly Government, who managed the Ireland/Wales Programme 2000-2006. The Assembly hosts the Joint Technical Secretariat for the programme.

 More about the Ireland Wales Programme 2007-2013 can be read here.

 We are the designated national contact point and provide the first level financial control function for the North West Europe Programme.

 More about the North West Europe Programme 2007-2013 can be read here

 We are involved in the Atlantic Area, the Northern Periphery Programme and Interreg IVC Programme, acting as contact point and/or first level financial control for the NPP & Interreg IVC programmes.

 Read more about the Atlantic Area, the Northern Periphery and Interreg IVC programmes.

We work with Dublin City Council on the URBACT OPENCities project. OPENCities is a British Council project funded by URBACT and led by Belfast City Council in collaboration with a network of European cities. The Assembly is an associated Managing Authority for this project