PEACE II Programme close to completing remit

The PEACE II Programme has given support to 4,600 projects throughout the border regions of Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The figure was revealed during a PEACE II Monitoring Committee meeting held earlier this week which showed that 82% of projects funded were cross community in nature.

Over 41,000 individuals also received support for training and over 5,000 families and children have benefited from childcare projects.

Shaun Henry, Director of Peace said: “We are very gratified by the success of PEACE II as shown by the level of commitment and the number of cross community projects supported.

“We also believe that there will be a successful outcome for the PEACE II extension proposal and we look forward to implementing this next phase of PEACE II and to aiding the excellent work being carried out by funded projects.”

An update on the current position of the PEACE II Extension was provided during the meeting and showed that the proposal is now being considered by the 25 Member States of the EU. It is expected that the Council of Ministers will be in a position to approve the extension over the next few months.

The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland is a special programme funded by the EU and Northern Ireland and Irish Governments to the value of 707 million euro.

The programme’s main aim is to fund projects that promote peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.

(MB/SP)