'˜Unconditional' EU peace funding hailed
A commitment by the EU to continue paying for peace-related funding after Brexit takes effect in March 2019 has been welcomed.
Jean-Claude Junker, president of the European Commission, reportedly made the comments in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
The BBC this evening quoted him as saying: “I see no more important use of our new budget than guaranteeing and financing the peace process in Ireland.
“This is an unconditional European commitment.
“This is what the commission will deliver with our proposal for the next multi-annual financial framework in May.”
The SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, the UUP MEP Jim Nicholson and DUP MEP Diane Dodds were among those welcoming the news, with the latter dubbing it a “positive commitment”.
The SDLP said a new round of funding under the existing PEACE programme would “bring the total EU peace money investment in Northern Ireland close to 2bn Euros”.