The Southern Region has been a region in Ireland since 1 January 2015.[3] It is a NUTS Level II statistical region of Ireland (coded IE05).[4][5]
NUTS 2 Regions may be classified as less developed regions, transition regions, or more developed regions to determine eligibility for funding under the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund Plus. In 2021, the Southern Region was classified as a more developed region.[6]
The Southern Regional Assembly is composed of members nominated by the local authorities in the region. It is one of three Regional Assemblies in Ireland which were established in 2015 following an amendment to the Local Government Act 1991, replacing 8 Regional Authorities with 3 Regional Assemblies.[7] It members are nominated from among the members of its constituent local authorities. It has 33 members: 27 appointed by the local authorities, and 6 as Committee of the Regions representatives.[8]
The Region contains three strategic planning areas, each of which is a NUTS Level III statistical region, and mostly correspond with the former Regional Authority Regions.
^Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014), "4. (1) Each area described in column (2) of Schedule 1 shall constitute a region within the meaning of and for the purposes of section 43 of the Act of 1991, and shall be called and known by the name specified in column (1) of that Schedule opposite the description of that area.". Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 19 January 2022.