Noord-Ierland bedankt de EU (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Europees Economisch en Sociaal Comité (EESC) i, gepubliceerd op donderdag 24 april 2008.

CES/08/40

Brussels, 24 April 2008

Northern Ireland says 'Thank EU'

Leading political figures from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will gather near Belfast on 28 April 2008 to pay tribute to the European Union for its support for the peace process at a conference organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

In a 'Recognition Ceremony', timed to coincide with events to mark the significant political achievements in Northern Ireland over the past decade, former EU officials will be thanked for their role in the EU Peace Programme and the International Fund for Ireland, representing a combined EU contribution of over 1.5 billion Euros for peace and reconciliation in the region. Among them will be former EU Regional Affairs Commissioner, Monika Wulf-Mathies, now Executive Vice President of German Post, and former Commission Secretary General, Carlo Trojan, who chaired the first EU Task Force for Northern Ireland (PEACE).

Organised by the EESC, which acts as a bridge between organised civil society and the EU Institutions, the event will take place in the Assembly Hall, University of Ulster on April 28, with Vice President Jillian van Turnhout representing the EESC.

The afternoon session will take the form of a Consultative Conference in which recipients of EU funds from Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland and other stakeholders will give evidence on 'The role of the EU in the Northern Ireland Peace process'. This is the subject of an own initiative opinion being drawn up by a subcommittee of the EESC (President: Henri Malosse, Rapporteur: Jane Morrice).

The aim of the opinion is to chart the relatively unsung story of EU support for the region and draw up a 'tool kit' of the lessons learned in the EU approach to conflict resolution in Northern Ireland for use in other conflict zones, if appropriate. Due for completion in autumn this year, the opinion will dovetail with other initiatives by the European Parliament and the new European Commission Task Force on Northern Ireland, which presented its findings in Belfast last week, to create a focus for future relations between the EU and a corner or its territory which is turning a corner in its history.

Note for Editors

The 'Recognition Ceremony' will take place on Monday, April 28 from 9.30 - 11.30 in the Assembly Hall of the University of Ulster Jordanstown. The 'Consultation Conference' will take place in the same location from 13.30 - 17.00.

Monika Wulf-Mathies, Executive Vice President German Post and Henri Malosse, President of the EESC's Employers Group, will be available for interview at the Europa Hotel on Sunday evening, April 27, from 8pm. Carlo Trojan, former Head of the PEACE Task Force, will be available for interview on Monday morning from 8 - 9am, as will Monika Wulf-Mathies and Henri Malosse.

For further information contact Jane Morrice (phone: 07710104636, email: wavelength@btinternet.com), Mike Smyth (mfsmyth@talk21.com), Marco Thyssen (marco.thyssen@eesc.europa.eu) or David Young (d.young@ulster.ac.uk)

 

The European Economic and Social Committee represents the various economic and social components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Its consultative role enables its members, and hence the organisations they represent, to participate in the Community decision-making process. The Committee has 344 members, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers.

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