The EU must guarantee dedicated funding for the PEACEPLUS programme beyond 2027 to protect peace on the island of Ireland, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said.
MEP Walsh welcomed the European Parliament’s support for a dedicated rural funding target of 10% in the next long-term EU budget but warned that PEACEPLUS funding must not disappear into a single pot with no guaranteed investment.
A report was presented in the European Parliament this week calling for at least 10% of the EU’s funding envelope to be dedicated to rural development, following concerns that the European Commission’s original proposal would remove the dedicated rural development pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
MEP Maria Walsh, a member of the Regional Development Committee, said:
“I welcome the European Parliament’s support for a dedicated 10% rural funding target. Around 80% of the European Union is rural, and these communities deserve a budget that reflects their needs.
“However, alongside protecting funding for rural areas, we must also guarantee the future of the PEACEPLUS programme. The EU has played a key role in supporting peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland over many decades. If this funding was to disappear after 2027, the future of peace projects and community funding across the island would be in danger.
“I am concerned that the Commission’s current proposal risks weakening this work by folding PEACEPLUS into a single National and Regional Partnership Fund. PEACEPLUS is a unique programme with a unique purpose. It must continue to receive its own dedicated and guaranteed funding – reflecting its role in promoting peace, reconciliation and cross-border cooperation.
“Across the Midlands North-West, I see first-hand the difference PEACEPLUS funding is making. It is helping local businesses to grow, improving public spaces, supporting environmental projects and bringing communities together across the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“Protecting PEACEPLUS is not simply about preserving an existing funding stream. It is about recognising that peace cannot be taken for granted. Continued EU investment in shared communities, economic development and cross-border partnerships remains just as important today as it has been over the past three decades.
“As negotiations on the next long-term EU budget continue, I will be submitting proposals through the Regional Development Committee to ensure PEACEPLUS retains its own ringfenced funding. Rural communities must receive the investment they deserve, and the EU must continue to back the peace and reconciliation projects that have transformed communities across the island of Ireland.”