Niamh Smyth
Question:311. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will report on the PEACE PLUS cross-Border EU programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46666/21]
View answerTuesday, 28 September 2021
Questions (311)
Written answers
I thank the Deputy for her interest in the PEACE PLUS programme. I am pleased to be able to report that this ambitious new North South EU-funded programme is now in the final stages of development.
PEACE PLUS was first proposed by the European Commission in 2018 as part of its package of measures for the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and Cohesion Policy for the 2021-27 period. This proposal was and remains a clear demonstration of the importance placed by the EU, and by the Irish and UK Governments, of ensuring continued investment for peace, prosperity and cross-border cooperation, in support of the Good Friday Agreement.
PEACE PLUS will cover an eligible area of Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland (i.e. Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo). It will replace the current PEACE and INTERREG cross-border EU programmes by combining these two funding streams into one cohesive new North South programme for 2021-27.
The cross-border Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) has been leading the development of PEACE PLUS, working in close cooperation with my Department and with the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland. The SEUPB has been assisted in this development task by a cross-sectoral Programme Development Steering Group (PDSG). This steering group consists of representatives of central and local government, environmental, rural, voluntary, community, equality, business and trade union groups from both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The development of PEACE PLUS has also been shaped by extensive stakeholder engagement. This has included two major public consultation exercises, which saw events held in every county of the eligible area for the new programme, as well as the collection of several hundred written submissions. There has also been close engagement between Government Departments North and South in order to agree and develop areas of cross-border collaboration under the new programme.
On foot of this considerable preparatory work, the SEUPB has finalised a draft PEACE PLUS programme based on six thematic investment areas:
- Building Peaceful and Thriving Communities;
- Delivering Economic Regeneration and Transformation;
- Empowering and Investing in Young People;
- Healthy and Inclusive Communities;
- Supporting a Sustainable and Better Connected Future;
- Building and Embedding Partnership and Collaboration.
Details of the investment themes are available in the Consultation Information Document on the SEUPB's PEACE PLUS website, and I encourage anyone with an interest in the new programme to visit to learn more.
PEACE PLUS has an anticipated total budget of over €1 billion. This is around twice the value of the current PEACE and INTERREG programmes combined, and demonstrates the scale and ambition of the new programme. This cross-border investment is more important than ever, in the context both of the challenges of Brexit and recovery from the pandemic.
I look forward to bringing the draft PEACE PLUS programme to Government for approval shortly. The draft programme will subsequently be submitted to the European Commission for final consideration and approval. This will allow for a formal launch of PEACE PLUS during 2022, with the first funding approvals taking place later that year.