Danuta Hübner
European Commissioner for Regional Policy

Launch of the extension to the Peace Programme

Launch of PEACE II Extension
Belfast, 3 June 2005

Ministers,

Members of Parliament and of the European Parliament,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to be with you today in Belfast to launch the extension of the EU Peace and Reconciliation Programme.

In June last year the European Council called on the Commission to examine the possibility of extending EU contributions to the PEACE Programme and the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) until the end of 2006. Both Programmes embody the European Union's support for the peace and reconciliation process in the region.

I know that this extension has been eagerly awaited. This event marks the final stage of a long and at times intense process of preparatory work, extensive consultations with stakeholders, and negotiations between the UK and Irish authorities, the European Commission and other European institutions.

I would like therefore to express my sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed, in such a constructive and co-operative way, to the extension of the Programme, and in particular to the Special EU Programmes Body, the two Departments of Finance (from the North and the South), and your colleagues in the Partnership. I should not forget also to thank all the Commission services and European institutions that have been involved in the extension, especially the European Parliament which has played a fundamental role in supporting the Programme since its establishment in 1995.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The main objective of the PEACE Programme is to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation. This objective clearly goes beyond the traditional aims of economic and social cohesion of other European regional programmes, such as the "Building Sustainable Prosperity" Programme.

This extension provides an additional EUR 144 million of funding to support the PEACE Programme for 2005 and 2006, bringing the total value of the EU to the Programme to EUR 852 million for the period 2000-2006. But European regional programmes are not just about money.  They are about much more than that, as the PEACE Programme clearly shows. The PEACE Programme is helping to develop new ideas, to change attitudes and to promote new ways of working together so all the different communities in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland can create a better future for themselves.

With its contribution to the International Fund for Ireland since 1989, and to the PEACE Programme since 1995, the European Union has been supporting the peace and reconciliation process in different ways for more than fifteen years. However, the European Union understands that support for peace and reconciliation at grassroots level is not a short-term process. There have been many impressive successes in the thousands of projects supported by the PEACE Programme but it is also clear that much remains to be done.

The continuation of activities that help to maintain community engagement in the peace process and promote reconciliation are essential for building an environment where political agreements and compromises can have a reasonable chance of succeeding. As efforts to restore the institutions of devolved administration in Northern Ireland continue, it is important that this peace-building role continues. The decision to continue EU support for the peace process for a further two years demonstrates the European Union's continued solidarity with the region and its commitment to achieving a permanent peace.

This is not a new programme, but rather an extension of the current one. Yet it is not simply a case of business as usual. There are new challenges ahead and the extension provides us with an opportunity to put into practice some of the main recommendations from evaluations, studies and public consultations that have been carried out. For example, the requirement that every project must promote reconciliation is further reinforced. The administration of the Programme is again further simplified and made more accessible. In addition, the Programme continues to support regeneration in areas disadvantaged by the conflict and it assists those who have suffered the most from violence such as victims of terrorism, women and children.

We are particularly pleased with the strong involvement of so many organisations and individuals in the day to day management of the Programme. Their participation occurs through inclusive cross-community partnerships, through joint North/South of Ireland structures and through "bottom-up" locally based partnerships for delivery). The European Commission very much welcomes this approach and I know many of you share that view.

Finally I would like to say a word about the PEACE Programme's demonstration effect for the use of Structural Funds in areas of conflict resolution and reconciliation. The enlargement has brought and will bring new challenges to the European Union in this respect. As such, I will take this opportunity to call on all of you who have participated and have or will benefit from the Programme, to share their knowledge and experience in the advancement of peace and reconciliation, the noblest of the European Union's objectives. Many of you already do, and in doing so you have become our best ambassadors.

I wish you all the best for the implementation of the extension of the Programme.

Thank you.