Further substantial EU funding for the Northern Ireland peace process now appears increasingly probable following a strong declaration of support yesterday from EU foreign ministers for the Belfast Agreement.
Calling for popular support for the deal, the ministers welcomed the "historic opportunity for a new beginning" and urged the parties and people of the North and South to "seize this opportunity to build a peaceful future based on partnership, equality and mutual respect".
They also agreed that "the Union should continue to play an active part in promoting lasting peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland", language interpreted by British and Irish ministers as signalling a willingness in principle to continue funding through the Peace and Reconciliation Fund. This is currently contributing some £400 million over a five-year period, 20 per cent of it to projects in Border counties in the Republic, with the last tranche allocated for next year.
The continued political and financial commitment of the EU to the North will be critical to the success of the peace accord, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, told fellow foreign ministers. And he later told journalists that he had no doubt that the EU would do all it could to continue to support the Peace and Reconciliation Fund and the International Fund for Ireland.
Mr Andrews and the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, reported to ministers on the Belfast Agreement and Mr Cook said later that he believed the declaration signalled a desire to continue the peace fund but would also lay the basis for discussions with the Commission on structural funding for the North. Northern Ireland, like the South, is due to lose its Objective One status, which makes it eligible for the highest levels of EU funding. British sources say that if a case is made for any exemptions to the Commission definition of Objective One, they will make a special case for the North.
In his contribution to the debate, the President of the Commission, Mr Jacques Santer, is understood to have expressed confidence that continued support for the peace fund could be secured.
Mr Andrews told ministers that the European Union had been an inspiration in how to set aside ancient differences and conflicts and provided an important model for the development of new institutions, particularly in the operation of the North-South Ministerial Council.
"The EU's economic support through various programmes and mechanisms - for example the Peace and Reconciliation Programme and its contribution to the International Fund for Ireland - have been vital in underwriting the peace process in real and meaningful terms for communities on the ground both in Northern Ireland and the Border counties," Mr Andrews said. Acknowledging the role of many figures on both sides of the Atlantic in the process, Mr Andrews particularly thanked the Finnish government for the help of former prime minister Mr Harri Holkeri. The agreement was welcomed by the Finnish Foreign Minister, Ms Tarja Halonen, who said that it was good news for the EU that two of its member-states could work together to resolve historic differences. The deal could serve as a model elsewhere, she said.
The German Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Friedrich von Plotz, urged ministers to back a strong statement of support for the agreement. The Belfast Agreement will also be debated in the European Parliament tomorrow in Brussels, when the British presidency will be represented by the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam. Mr Andrews and Mr Santer will also address the meeting, while Mr John Hume MEP will represent the Socialist Group.
The full text of the Ministers' declaration is as follows:
"The Council welcomes the agreement reached in Belfast on 10th April as a historic opportunity for a new beginning and the achievement of a lasting, balanced and fair settlement with an end to violence. It congratulated all those who had worked so hard to achieve this agreement. It urged the parties and the people of Ireland, North and South, to seize this opportunity to build a peaceful future based on partnership, equality and mutual respect.
"The Council noted also the EU's constructive contribution to the economic and social developments in Northern Ireland and the Border counties of the South by means of various programmes. It agreed that the Union should continue to play an active part in promoting lasting peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland."
