VISION FOR NI POST EU PEACE FUNDING

A conference, entitled ‘Beyond PEACE II – the Challenge’ took place in Belfast's Odyssey and was attended by over 200 delegates from across Europe.

The burning issue of how Northern Ireland will cope when European Union peace funding runs out in three years' time was discussed.

The debate was organised by the Belfast European Partnership Board in response to community group fears that unless the problem is addressed now, jobs will be lost.

Speaking to the delegation, Minister for the Department of Education and Learning Dr Sean Farren proposed a partnership framework that would take Northern Ireland beyond PEACE II.

These ‘Local Strategy Partnerships’ headed by a new Regional Partnership Board would involve local government and the four pillars of the social partners, namely the community/voluntary sector; trade unions; the private sector and the agriculture and rural development sector. These partnerships would then go on to strengthen and build on the successes of the Peace II programme community work.

Dr Farren said: “Partnership is not exclusive to EU funding. The vision of the future is to see partnership working becoming an integral part of how we, as a devolved administration, ensure that local community voices are heard and influence priorities for spending at local level.

“It is vital that statutory agencies operating at local level become involved in partnership working, taking full account of the views and priorities of local communities operating at grass roots level.”

Since 1995, £350m has been made available to Northern Ireland as part of peace funding.

The Belfast European Partnership Board said EU funding schemes had played "a critical role in underpinning the peace process by encouraging stronger community interaction at grass roots level and by providing more jobs and widening opportunities".

Deirdre MacBride, chief executive of the board, said the private and public sectors must work together to find ways of replacing funding which is "vital" to community projects.

She said: "It is impossible to underestimate the importance of EU funding to Northern Ireland. It is vital to develop a strategy that addresses what Northern Ireland will do when the peace money runs out in 2004." (AMcE)