EESC benadrukt positieve rol van de EU in vredesproces Noord-Ierland (en)
EN CES/ 08/93 23 October 2008 EESC hails EU role in Northern Ireland Peace process In a joint declaration adopted today, newly elected EESC President, Mario Sepi, and Jane Morrice, rapporteur for an EESC own initiative opinion on Northern Ireland, hailed the positive EU influence on the peace process in Northern Ireland. Earlier the EESC's plenary session had unanimously adopted its opinion on this subject. "The EU's involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process has been ground-breaking and innovative", stressed President Sepi and Ms Morrice (Group III, Various Interests, United Kingdom) in their joint declaration. Both hailed the bottom-up approach taken by the EU, the active involvement of civil society being the key element. Civil society efforts crucial They argued that the conflict resolution tool kit had shown how the EU had provided the means and built confidence to sustain the efforts of civil society, namely the voluntary sector business, trade unions and all those who had been working to promote cross-community and cross-border reconciliation. "There is no doubt" said Sepi and Morrice, "that peace building in Northern Ireland is still a work in progress. Nevertheless, the EUR 1.3 billion spent through the EU peace programmes and the International Fund for Ireland have been an invaluable support, support that will remain for years to come. The full text is available here: http://www.eesc.europa.eu/documents/opinions/ces1686-2008_ac_en.doc
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