Brendan Smith
Ceist:36. Deputy Brendan Smith 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. [45423/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 23 September 2021
Ceisteanna (36)
Freagraí scríofa
I am pleased to report that the development of the new PEACE PLUS North South EU programme is now at a very advanced stage.
This new cross-border programme for Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland was first proposed by the European Commission in 2018. The proposal reflects the ongoing commitment of the European Union, and of the Irish Government and the UK Government, to the support of peace and prosperity in this region. PEACE PLUS will succeed the current INTERREG and PEACE cross-border EU programmes by combining these funding strands into one cohesive new programme for the 2021-27 period, with an anticipated total budget of over €1 billion.
The development of PEACE PLUS has been led by the cross-border Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), working closely with officials of my Department and of the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland. The SEUPB has been assisted by a cross-sectoral Programme Development Steering Group (PDSG), consisting of representatives of central and local government, environmental, rural, voluntary, community, equality, business and trade union groups from both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The programme development process has been informed by extensive stakeholder engagement. This included an initial public consultation exercise in 2019/2020, involving public events held across the eligible area for PEACE PLUS, and a consultation on the draft programme in 2021, which elicited over three hundred written submissions. Government departments North and South have also engaged throughout the programme development period in order to identify and develop areas of cross-border collaboration.
On foot of this development process, the SEUPB has now finalised an ambitious draft PEACE PLUS programme based on a budget of over €1 billion and focused on six thematic areas. I encourage anyone with an interest in the new programme to visit www.seupb.eu/peaceplus to learn more.
I am looking forward to bringing the draft PEACE PLUS programme to Government for approval in the coming weeks. Following approval by the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, the draft programme will be submitted to the European Commission for its consideration and approval. It is anticipated that the programme will be launched in 2022, with the first funding approvals under PEACE PLUS taking place later that year.