EU chiefs warned over support for peace funding

European Union chiefs were warned today by a Northern Ireland MEP his support for new peace and reconciliation funding for the North should not be assumed.

Democratic Unionist MEP Jim Allister told the European Commission his backing for the €200m PEACE III package was dependent on there being a fairer distribution of cash between projects in working class unionist and nationalist communities under the current scheme.

As he visited Scribbles Day Nursery in the Taughmonagh area of south Belfast which has received funds, Mr Allister was concerned that there was still not enough real change to the way funds had been allocated under the extension of the PEACE II programme.

And he argued EU funds had been wasted on less deserving projects.

“Too often money is wasted on transient froth and poured into groups which have done little to deserve it, like ex-prisoners or Irish language groups,” he said.

“But, here, a whole community is being assisted in a worthwhile manner. I trust that the future economic aspects of this programme in Taughmonagh, for which funding has been sought, will be made possible by the granting of that funding.”

Last month the British government, as president of the European Union, proposed a third EU Peace and Reconciliation programme between 2007 and 2013 for projects in the North and the border counties of the Irish Republic.

The EU has allocated almost €1bn to community groups under two Peace and Reconciliation schemes negotiated by Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson and former MEPs, the Reverend Ian Paisley of the DUP and John Hume of the nationalist SDLP.

Funds have gone to community-based projects on both sides of the border which promote reconciliation, stimulate social and economic renewal, upgrade local facilities and extend learning opportunities.

With the second tranche of funds due to run out, there had been concern in the community and voluntary sector if a third scheme was not approved hundreds of jobs would have to have been axed.

Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionists have welcomed the British government proposal.

However there has been concern that unionist communities have lagged behind their nationalist counterparts in accessing the funds.

Mr Allister said today positive stories like the day care centre in Taughmonagh were all too infrequent in deprived unionist neighbourhoods in the North.

“I have stated many times that the success of this Peace II Extension period of the programme will be judged by whether or not the long-standing anti-unionist imbalance in distribution, which has existed up until now, is reversed,” he said.

“I will continue to watch very closely all of the funding announcements that will be made in the days ahead to see if the unionist community is getting a fair deal.

“I must say from the limited number of funding announcements already made under the extension, I am not as encouraged as I hoped I might have been that real change is underway.

“It is clear there has been a huge upswing in the number of applications from the unionist community, but the test now for the funding bodies is whether they can break the habits of the past and reverse the hitherto under-funding of the majority community.

“As I’ve made clear to the Special EU Programmes Body and others, my attitude to and support for a PEACE III programme will be shaped by whether balanced distribution is obtained under the current Extension. I have no interest in perpetuating discrimination against the unionist community.”