25 Sep 2013, 10:19
The Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement will tomorrow discuss the delivery of EU funding specifically targeted at Northern Ireland and the border counties.
25 September 2013
Pat Colgan is Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body, the North South body established under the Good Friday Agreement. He will brief the Committee on the future funding situation of the PEACE and INTERREG programmes.
Chairman of the Committee Joe McHugh TD says: “Over the past 15 years, thousands of grassroots projects have been supported to foster peace and reconciliation. The funding has made a tremendous practical contribution to community life in Northern Ireland and the border region. In the intense negotiations around the EU’s long term budget to 2020, €150m in funding has been earmarked for the next round of PEACE funding. Subsequently, the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive committed an extra €50m. Work is underway in preparing for the 2014 to 2020 funding period.
“In difficult economic times where budgets everywhere are coming under increasing pressure, our Committee looks forward to exploring with Mr Colgan how current funding is being applied to positive effect and how it can be sustained into the future. The discussion tomorrow is likely to focus on how the next round of funding can be deployed to secure peace and foster economic renewal and job creation in Northern Ireland and the border region. ”
The meeting commences with discussions at 12 noon tomorrow Thursday 26 September in Committee Room 4 in LH 2000. Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
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Ends
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Members of the Committee:
Deputies: Seán Conlan, Seán Crowe, Clare Daly, Regina Doherty, Frank Feighan, Martin Ferris, Peter M Fitzpatrick, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Michael P Kitt, Joe McHugh (Chair), Joe O’Reilly (Vice-Chair), Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Brendan Smith, Joanna Tuffy and Jack Wall
Senators: Maurice Cummins (Leader of the House), Jim D’Arcy, Mary Moran and Mary White