Taoiseach to officially launch €1 billion EU funding for Northern Ireland

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in Belfast today (Monday) to announce €1.14 billion in funding through PEACEPLUS, a new EU programme to build reconciliation and greater prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

The Taoiseach will be joined by Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, European Commission Vice President Maros Šefčovič, a representative of the UK Government, and the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Dr Jayne Brady.

The Taoiseach will hold a bilateral meeting with Commissioner Šefčovič to discuss the EU’s commitment to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, as well as the state of play on the implementation of the Windsor Framework.

He will also have a bilateral with the UK Government representative in order to underline the importance the Irish Government attaches to the restoration of the power-sharing institutions and to the British-Irish partnership, as well as the government’s concerns relating to the UK Government’s Legacy Bill.

The Taoiseach will also engage with Northern Ireland business during the visit.

PEACEPLUS is a new €1.14 billion EU funding programme, designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

Consolidating on the legacy of the Good Friday Agreement and the achievements of the 23,000 projects funded through PEACE and INTERREG Programmes over the past 25 years, PEACEPLUS will deliver investment across six key themes designed to ensure the continued economic, social, and environmental development of Northern Ireland and the six border counties. Development and management of EU North South programmes is the responsibility of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North South Implementation Body established under the Good Friday Agreement. The SEUPB is headquartered in Belfast, with smaller offices in Omagh and Monaghan, and is jointly sponsored by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in Ireland and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland.