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http://www.n11.ie/News/PressReleases...t,2501,en.html

Over €700m has been invested to date in the upgrading of the M1 to motorway standard. A substantial contribution - €270m – was made by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund. EU Commissioner for Regional Policy and Institutional Reform, Mr. Michel Barnier, said, “It is important to emphasise that the M1 has a European dimension which has two important aspects:

• Firstly, the main reason that all the projects along the M1 attracted such important investment from the European Union was because European Heads of State designated certain transport corridors as Trans European Priorities. This led directly to a concentration of resources in line with national and European priorities. From a European perspective the M1 is a designated part of the Ireland-UK-Benelux corridor.
• Secondly, significant investment from the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund have been made in the M1 over many years. At least €270m have been made available to all the projects that have led to the completion of the M1 as far as Dundalk. This is clearly a significant act of European solidarity. Completion of this major section of the M1 is a national and a European success story.”