From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, has welcomed the submission of the new €1.1bn PEACE PLUS programme to the European Commission, ahead of its launch later this year.
On foot of approval by Government, by the Northern Ireland Executive and by the North South Ministerial Council in late 2021, the draft programme has now been formally submitted by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) to the Commission for its review and final approval. Commission approval and adoption of the programme is anticipated in the summer.
PEACE PLUS is a unique new cross-border EU programme for the island of Ireland. It will combine the previous INTERREG and PEACE cross-border funding strands into a cohesive new programme for the 2021-27 EU programming period. The new programme will support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland (i.e. Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo).
Combined financial commitments from the EU, the UK and Ireland provide for a total funding allocation for PEACE PLUS of around €1.1bn – more than twice the value of the current INTERREG and PEACE programmes combined, and an unprecedented investment in the history of EU cross-border programmes on the island of Ireland.
The development of PEACE PLUS has been led since 2018 by the SEUPB, a cross-border North South Implementation Body established under the Good Friday Agreement.
The SEUPB has worked closely with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland during this process, and has also been assisted by a cross-sectoral Programme Development Steering Group (PDSG). The PDSG is constituted on a cross-border basis and consists of representatives of central and local government, business, trade union, community and voluntary groups, environment, rural and equality organisations.
The content of the new programme has been shaped by extensive engagement and consultation, including close collaboration between government departments North and South to identify areas for cross-border partnership under PEACE PLUS, as well as two public consultations. The final programme has been structured around six thematic cross-border investment areas:
Full details on each investment area, including information for potential applicants, can be found at www.seupb.eu/peaceplus .
Programme launch and mobilisation are anticipated for summer 2022. In advance of this, the SEUPB is already preparing by providing pre-application support for prospective applicants under some of the first Calls for Application which will issue following launch.
Speaking today, Minister McGrath said:
‘I’m very pleased to note the formal submission by the SEUPB of the draft PEACE PLUS programme to the European Commission. This is a key milestone in finalising this exciting new programme ahead of its rollout.
The investment of some €1.1bn in support of shared peace and prosperity represented by PEACE PLUS is without precedent – the largest single programme in the history of cross-border EU programmes for the island of Ireland. This is a programme of magnitude, which will have an enduring legacy for communities on both sides of the border.
I want in particular to acknowledge the joint commitment of the EU, the UK and Ireland to PEACE PLUS throughout its development process since 2019. PEACE PLUS demonstrates our shared and ongoing commitment to fostering peace and reconciliation. I also want to commend the SEUPB, as well as our stakeholders on the Programme Development Steering Group, for their unstinting work to develop and finalise the new programme.
I’m looking forward to the launch and mobilisation of PEACE PLUS in the coming months, and to the opening of the first Calls for Applications as programme rollout begins.’
Notes for Editors
The PEACE PLUS programme was proposed in May 2018 as part of the European Commission’s proposals for the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and EU Cohesion policy for the 2021-27 period. The proposal demonstrates the importance placed by the EU, and by the governments of Ireland and the UK, on the strengthening of peace and reconciliation and cross-border cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
PEACE PLUS will cover an eligible area of Northern Ireland and Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo (although there is scope for activity to extend beyond that area). This new programme will combine the existing PEACE and INTERREG cross-border EU funding strands into one cohesive new North-South programme for the 2021-27 programming period.
Commitments to PEACE PLUS are included in the January 2020 EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, and in the accompanying Political Declaration, as well as in the December 2020 EU-UK Joint Declaration on Participation in Union Programmes and Access to Programme Services.
Programme development for PEACE PLUS has been led by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), which is a North South Implementation Body established on foot of the Good Friday Agreement. SEUPB is headquartered in Belfast, with satellite offices in Omagh and Monaghan.
SEUPB has been assisted in this task by the PEACE PLUS Programme Development Group (PDSG), which consists of representatives of both governments, as well as of local government, business, trade union, community and voluntary sector, environment and rural and equality organisations.
The development of PEACE PLUS has been informed by extensive consultation and research. This has included:
A public consultation carried out by SEUPB between December 2019 and February 2020, which involved 16 public events, held in every county in the eligible area, as well as the collection of over 300 written submissions;
A second public consultation carried out by SEUPB between March and May 2021;
Joint proposals from Government Departments, North and South, which have worked collaboratively, with guidance from SEUPB, to identify and agree a range of cross-border interventions;
A Socio-Economic Profile of the eligible area for the new programme, jointly prepared by Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) economists and their counterparts from the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
The draft PEACE PLUS programme was approved by Government, by the Northern Ireland Executive and by the North South Ministerial Council during October 2021.
The Programme Thematic and Investment Areas are as follows:
Theme 1 Building Peaceful and Thriving Communities
• 1.1 Co-Designed Local Authority Community Action Plans
• 1.2 Empowering Communities – small grants
• 1.3 Building Positive Relations
• 1.4 Reimaging communities
Theme 2 Delivering Economic Regeneration and Transformation
• 2.1 Delivering Economic Regeneration and Transformation ( SMEs)
• 2.2 Innovation Challenge Fund
• 2.3 Skills Development Programme
• 2.4 Smart Towns and Villages
Theme 3 Empowering and Investing in our Young People:
• 3.1 Learning Together
• 3.2 PEACE PLUS for Youth
• 3.3 Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing
Theme 4 Healthy and Inclusive Communities:
• 4.1 Collaborative Health and Social Care
• 4.2 Rural Development and Regeneration
• 4.3 Victims and Survivors Service
Theme 5 Supporting a Sustainable Future:
• 5.1 Biodiversity, Nature Recovery and Resilience
• 5.2 Marine and Coastal Management
• 5.3 Water Quality and Catchment Management
• 5.4 Water improvement
• 5.5 Geothermal Energy Demonstration Programme
• 5.6 Sustainable Travel Connections
Theme 6 Building and Embedding Partnership and Collaboration:
• 6.1 Strategic Planning
• 6.2 Maintaining and Forging Relationships between Citizens
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