The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) has taken over as the National URBACT Point for Ireland.

Regional Assemblies are part of the regional tier of governance in Ireland, primarily focused on strategic planning, EU funding and coordination of certain local government activities. The EMRA is one of three Regional Assemblies in the Republic of Ireland, and has close links to the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. The function of the Regional Assembly can be summarised as one of coordination, planning, monitoring and oversight. This function involves working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, relevant government departments and local authorities. Regional Assemblies have a close relationship with local authorities and bring considerable experience in terms of event management, consultation and stakeholder engagement.

EMRA maintains a regional perspective that considers each community, county and sub-region as parts of a larger functional area. The Regional Assembly oversees the Irish Regions European Office (IREO) in Brussels and is the national secretariat to the Irish National Delegation to the Committee of the Regions (CoR). Regional Assemblies are involved in European networks and projects and have detailed knowledge and understanding of current EU Structural Funds and regional development funds.

The EMRA is delighted to have the opportunity to engage with URBACT and is looking forward to developing lasting relationships. For all URBACT related queries please don’t hesitate to contact Travis O’Doherty by email at urbactireland@emra.ie or phone 01-8074482.