On 14 February 1995, the EU Commission approved a set of draft guidelines for the Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation. The draft guidelines are, at present, under consideration by the management committee on EU Initiatives, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee, and the European Parliament. When the guidelines are completed, following this examination process, they can be formally adopted by the Commission.
The two member states concerned will then be asked to draw up an operational programme for the initiative. In this context, the Government will invite the submission of applications from relevant national and local bodies for assistance under the various headings of the initiative. The completed programme will be submitted to the Commission for its approval.
The precise procedures for the implementation of the initiative remain to be determined. It is the Government's intention, however, to facilitate a widely based consultative process with interested parties in the Border region on all aspects of the initiative. We wish to ensure that all possible information about it is given wide dissemination at both national and local level.
As part of the information and consultation process, the Government has decided to convene a conference in the Slieve Russell Hotel in County Cavan on 25 April to which, inter alia, major representative groups from the six Southern counties will be invited. The Government wishes to provide local and community interests in the Border area with an opportunity to contribute to the preparation and implementation of the operational programme for the new initiative. It is envisaged that the cross-Border development aspect of the initiative will receive priority attention at the conference.
