Dedicated funding sought as Leitrim receives €18.5 million from ‘PEACEPLUS’ programme

The 'PEACEPLUS' programme will most likely be includd in the next EU budget framework, a programme which has see €18.5 million invested in Leitrim. 

MEP for Midlands North-West Nina Carberry, the European Parliament’s lead MEP on EU-UK relations and a member of the Budget Committee, is calling for dedicated funding for the future ‘PEACEPLUS’ programme in the next EU Budget (2028-2034).

The latest round of talks in Brussels come as €18.5 million in funding from the existing programme is being invested in Leitrim, primarily to support the Shannonside Recreational Campus in Carrick-on-Shannon and the Leitrim Community Peace Action Plan.

MEP Carberry welcomed recent progress in Brussels, noting that the European Council has indicated that ‘PEACEPLUS’ will likely be included in the next EU budget framework.

“To date, since the first ‘PEACE’ programme was launched in 1995, more than €3 billion has been allocated over the lifetime of the PEACE funding initiatives.

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“But we cannot be complacent, with so many new competing priorities across the EU, we need certainty over the future of this programme. That is why last week I tabled amendments in the European Parliament aimed at ensuring that ‘PEACEPLUS’ funding is protected as part of the EU Regional Development Fund going forward,” Carberry added.

The MEP acknowledged that during the current seven-year budget period (2021–2027), ‘PEACEPLUS’ funding was significantly strengthened due to the consequences of Brexit. However, she warned that the UK’s withdrawal from the EU continues to create uncertainty for community groups, sports organisations and local initiatives that rely on this funding.

Carberry has called on the UK Government to honour its financial commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement when the next ‘PEACEPLUS’ funding period begins in 2028.

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“The European Union was built as a peace project,” MEP Carberry said.

She added that ‘PEACEPLUS’ must continue to receive dedicated EU funding, supported by contributions from the Irish Government, the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, to ensure peacebuilding and cross-community development can continue across the region.