EC donates €700m to the North and border counties

Over €700m has been allocated by the European Commission to promote economic investment in the North and the border counties, it was announced today.

The funds, to be rolled out over a seven-year period, will support three schemes to improve reconciliation and generate greater investment in the area.

The cross-border co-operation programme will build on previous EU initiatives and for the first time include parts of western Scotland.

But Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson criticised the announcement claiming it was not new money but previously promised funds repackaged.

Danuta Hubner, European Union (EU) Commissioner for regional policy, said: “Through these three programmes, the EU is providing Northern Ireland with real opportunities to develop its economic potential and competitiveness, to improve the situation of its border regions and to make further progress towards a peaceful and stable society.”

The three initiatives supported by the €724m investment package are the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Programme, promoting the development of a knowledge-based high-skilled economy, the PEACE III Programme, encouraging community reconciliation, and the Northern Ireland-Ireland-Scotland Cross-border Co-operation Programme.

The latter will build on previous cross-border schemes between Ireland and the north under the INTERREG Community Initiative, an EU partnership programme.

But it will for the first time highlight the economic maritime benefits of co-operation between the three jurisdictions.

Mr Nicholson welcomed the funding, but claimed the announcement had been repackaged, recycled and made to appear as new money.

“The public should not be misled into believing that Northern Ireland has earned some massive cash bonanza from Europe.

“As I recall this is probably the fourth or fifth time in a two-year period that an announcement has been made regarding this funding.

“It seems that yet again this money has been recycled, repackaged and made to appear like it is new money.”

An EU spokeswoman rejected the claims the funding had been recycled and said the announcement was the final step in a long policy process.