22 Extension of the PEACE II Programme
| (26033)
13571/04
COM(04)631
| Draft Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No. 1260/1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds concerning the extension of the duration of the PEACE programme and the granting of new commitment appropriations
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| Legal base | Article 161 EC; assent; unanimity
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| Document originated | 13 October 2004
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| Deposited in Parliament | 21 October 2004
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| Department | Northern Ireland Office
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 3 November 2004
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| To be discussed in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Legal background
22.1 Article 158 of the Treaty establishing the European Community
(the EC Treaty) provides that, in order to strengthen economic
and social cohesion, "the Community shall aim at reducing
disparities between the levels of development of the various regions
and the backwardness of the least favoured regions or islands,
including rural areas". Article 159 of the Treaty says that
the Community is to support the achievement of these objectives
through, among other things, the Structural Funds. Article 161
requires the Council to define the tasks, priorities and organisation
of the Structural Funds.
22.2 In 1999, the Council adopted a Regulation making
general provisions for the operation of the Structural Funds.[54]
Article 7(4) of the Regulation establishes the PEACE programme
for the years 2000-04 for the benefit of Northern Ireland and
the border areas of Ireland.
The PEACE programmes
22.3 Following the paramilitary ceasefires of 1994,
the Community established the Special Programme for Peace and
Reconciliation (PEACE I). It covered the period 1995-99. In the
light of the Belfast Agreement of 1998 and the establishment of
devolved institutions and cross-border cooperation, the Council
decided to extend the programme for a further four years, ending
in December 2004 (the PEACE II programme).
22.4 The estimated total expenditure of the PEACE
II programme for 2000-04 is €708 million. It provides support
for projects in Northern Ireland and the border areas of the Republic
of Ireland in aid of the peace process and to promote reconciliation.
Request for extension of the PEACE II programme
22.5 In May 2004, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach
wrote to the President of the European Commission, noting the
achievements of the PEACE I and II programmes and the contributions
they have made to the Northern Ireland peace process and requesting
the extension of the PEACE II programme until December 2006. The
Commission's President replied that the Commission was keen to
maintain these efforts. In June, the European Council confirmed
its support for the efforts of the two Governments to re-establish
the devolved institutions and invited the Commission to examine
how the extension of the programme might be provided.
The document
22.6 The draft Regulation proposes the amendment
of Article 7(4) of the Regulation of 1999 to extend the PEACE
II programme until December 2006 and to provide total appropriations
of nearly €60
million for the two years.
The Government's view
22.7 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at
the Northern Ireland Office (Mr Ian Pearson) tells us that the
European identity of the PEACE programmes has ensured that, especially
in Northern Ireland, the programmes have been seen as neutral
in terms of local community divisions. This has enabled the programmes
to work on a cross-community and cross-border basis in a way that
would not have been possible otherwise.
22.8 The draft Regulation provides for the European
Community to supply nearly €30 million a year in 2005 and
2006. The Governments would provide matching funds. Roughly two-thirds
of the money would be spent on Northern Ireland projects and
the rest on projects in the border areas of the Republic of Ireland.
This is in line with the request made by the two Governments.
The financial contribution from the Community would come from
the Structural Funds and would be found from a transfer from the
Cohesion Fund (on which we are reporting separately).[55]
Conclusion
22.9 We welcome the proposal for the extension
of the PEACE II programme. We are satisfied that the draft Regulation
is proportionate, founded on an appropriate legal base and does
not conflict with the principle of subsidiarity. Accordingly,
we clear the document from scrutiny.
54 Regulation (EC) No. 1260/1999, OJ No. L 161, 26.6.99,
p. 1. Back
55
See (26029) 13515/04 para 21 of this Report. Back
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