EU FUNDING for Dublin may be cut in the new national plan, but disadvantaged communities will not suffer if the Government lives up to its commitment to make good the shortfall.
The ferocious lobbying by community groups and Dublin TDs seems to have worked.
More important than the actual amount available from Brussels is the fundamental restructuring of community initiatives. Under the current programme nine community initiatives are coming to a close.
These will be replaced by three new, larger programmes: rural development incorporating the Leader schemes, a trans-national one based on the approach used in Interreg, and a human resource scheme.
By definition, Dublin will not be eligible under rural development.
The Border areas are the obvious location for any successor to Interreg, although there is nothing in theory to prevent such a programme from twinning Dublin with Swansea or Marseilles.
Human resources are the key area in which Dublin can hope to make a successful bid for funding. However, with the revised national plan not due out until April, all options are open.
A wide range of groups, covering the voluntary and community sector, area partnerships and joint voluntary-statutory ventures, can tender for the contract.
In the last round of structural funding Dublin was allocated £795 million for industrial development, £846 million for transport and £964 million for human resource development and training.
The indications this time are that there will be significant cutbacks in industrial and training funds, but that infrastructural funding will be increased. Again, policy at national level is more significant.
The Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, has clearly signalled a move away from community employment schemes for the long-term unemployed, and towards preventive work with the young unemployed and in retraining generally.
While there are question marks over the tax incentive measures used by successive governments to revive designated urban areas, it looks as if extra funding will be available for local development generally, including urban development.
Most Dublin-based area partnerships and community groups are likely to take some comfort from the Government's assurance on November 11th last that national funding will be used to ensure that the city's most disadvantaged areas do not lose out to the funnelling of extra EU cash west of the Shannon.
The director of the Dublin Regional Authority, Mr Willy Carroll, was cautiously optimistic.
"We are in the middle of a process," he said, "and the authority has made a submission. I would be hopeful that many of the issues of urban deprivation and infrastructural deficiencies in Dublin will be reflected in the new national plan."