Minister McGrath visits EU funded projects in Belfast
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Ó: An Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí, Seachadta ar an bPlean Forbartha Náisiúnta, agus Athchóirithe
- Foilsithe: 30 Márta 2022
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 12 Aibreán 2025
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, today (Wednesday), visited a number of projects in Belfast funded by the EU's PEACE IV cross-border programme.
Minister McGrath met representatives and beneficiaries from five different PEACE IV projects to hear first-hand their experience of participation in the programme.
Amongst these was the Peace Bytes project, a cross-border and cross-community initiative which is engaging with young people aged 14-24 from areas with high levels of deprivation and who are at risk of paramilitary influence. Minister McGrath also met with participants from the Peace and Conflict Transformation (PACT) project. PACT is promoting peace and reconciliation for women in Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland by providing innovative training.
In total, the EU’s 2014-20 PEACE IV programme is investing some €270 million in support of 33 projects across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. A further €283 million is being invested by the EU's 2014 - 20 INTERREG VA programme.
Minister McGrath was hosted by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB)Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), the North South Implementation Body responsible for developing and managing EU cross-border programmes. At a lunchtime briefing session in the SEUPB’s Belfast headquarters, Minister McGrath was able to thank staff for their work and received an update from senior management on the current PEACE IV and INTERREG VA programmes as well as the development of the new €1.1 billion PEACE PLUS cross-border EU programme.
Commenting following the visit, Minister McGrath said:
“As Minister with responsibility in Ireland for cross-border EU programmes, I am delighted to have finally had the opportunity to come to Belfast and see at ground level the impact of this investment on the ground. I am deeply impressed by the work being done under our PEACE IV programme. The value of this funding was very clear from my conversations today with project beneficiaries – it is literally life-changing in many cases.
“I was also pleased to have the opportunity to thank the staff of the Special EU Programmes Body for the work they do and to hear an update from them on the new PEACE PLUS programme, which we look forward to launching later this year. The major investment of over €1 billion which PEACE PLUS will bring will allow for the excellent work of the PEACE and INTERREG programmes to be continued over the 2021-27 period."
Notes
- development and management of EU North South programmes is the responsibility of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North South Implementation Body established under the Good Friday Agreement. The SEUPB is headquartered in Belfast, with smaller offices in Omagh and Monaghan, and is jointly sponsored by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Ireland and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland
- the SEUPB is responsible for the implementation of two ongoing EU cross-border programmes for the 2014-20 programming period. The PEACE IV programme covers an eligible area of Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. It has a total value of €270 million and is now fully committed in support of 33 projects. The INTERREG VA programme covers an eligible area of Northern Ireland, the border counties of Ireland and parts of Western Scotland. It has a total value of €283 million and is also now fully committed, supporting 96 different projects
- the SEUPB is also responsible for the development and implementation of the new 2021-27 PEACE PLUS EU cross-border programme. PEACE PLUS will have a total value of c. €1.1 billion and will combine the existing PEACE and INTERREG funding strands into a single cohesive new programme covering an eligible area of Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. PEACE PLUS is now at a very advanced stage of development, with the draft programme approved by Government, by the Northern Ireland Executive and by the North South Ministerial Council in late 2021. The draft programme is in the process of submission to the European Commission for final review and approval, and will be formally launched later in 2022