COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 26.11.1997 
COM(97) 642 final 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 
on 
THE SPECIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMME FOR PEACE AND 
RECONCILIATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE BORDER 
COUNTIES OF IRELAND (1995-1999) 

1. INTRODUCTION 
1.1 Reason for this Communication 
In a widely welcomed move, the European Union supported in 1995 the emerging peace 
process in Northern Ireland through the Special Support Programme for Peace and 
Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland. This five year 
Programme was endowed with financial resources for a three year period. Further funding 
was made subject to a review based on a Commission report: this Communication 
constitutes that report. It supports a Commission proposal in the Preliminary Draft 
Budget for 1998 that a further amount of 100 MECU be allocated to the Programme, as 
well as its intention to propose a further allocation for 1999. 
1.2 Origin of the Programme 
In Autumn 1994, shortly after the cessation of violence in Northern Ireland, a special 
Commission Task Force was created to "look into further ways of giving practical 
assistance" in the light of a promising new situation in the region. The three Northern 
Ireland members of the European Parliament, Dr. I. Paisley, Mr. J. Hume, and Mr. J. 
Nicholson were directly involved with this initiative from the outset. One key conclusion 
of the Task Force was that "the European Union has a clear interest and vital role to play 
in maintaining the momentum for peace and reconciliation, not only for the benefit of the 
region most affected, but also for the wider benefit of the European Union as a whole". 
Following the report of this Task Force, the European Council, in Essen in December 
1994, decided that it was opportune to establish a Special Support Programme for Peace 
and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland. The 
Programme (1995-1999) was prepared jointly by the Governments of the United Kingdom 
and Ireland and approved by the Commission on 28 July 1995. Assistance from the 
Structural Funds and the FIFG of 300 MECU was provided for the period 1995-1997. 
The Commission Decision specified that up to 80% of the funding was for activities in 
Northern Ireland, not less than 20% for activities in the Border Counties, and that a 
minimum of 15% should be devoted to activities carried out in a cross-border context. 
1.3 Additional Funding 
The Commission believes that the Programme is being implemented as intended and that it 
is making a significant contribution to sustaining peace and promoting reconciliation, 
particularly in the light of progress at the level of political negotiations and of a much-
improved security situation. It therefore proposed in the Preliminary Draft Budget for 
Î998 that the Programme be given an additional allocation of 100 MECU for Î998. It 
now proposes that the amount of 100 MECU for 1998 should come from Structural 
Funds resources which have not yet been allocated to Member States. It intends to 
propose that the amount to be provided for 1999 should be drawn from othsr 
programmes supported by the Structural Funds and exhibiting lasting underspends. It 
should be underlined that uncertainty about further funding causes great concern on the 
ground and risks undoing many of the positive effects of the Programme. Any interruption 
of funding would reduce significantly the effectiveness of many actions, m particular 
through the loss of staff as contracts become shorter cr uncertain, and through 
beneficiaries only beginning to develop and act on worthwhile ideas when funds dry up. 
X- 4 
2. OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES 
2.1 Objectives 
An extensive consultation process preceded the preparation of the Programme and 
influenced the definition of its strategic aim and objectives. The Programme states that the 
overwhelming need to maintain the momentum for peace forms the rationale underpinning 
the Programme and it underlines the need to tackle socio-economic difficulties as part of 
this process. 
The strategic aim is therefore defined as follows: "to reinforce progress towards a 
peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation by increasing economic 
development and employment, promoting urban and rural regeneration, developing cross-
border cooperation and extending social inclusion." 
Two strategic objectives give a more precise focus to the action to be undertaken: 
- to promote the social inclusion of those who are at the margins of social and economic 
life; 
- to exploit the opportunities and to address the needs arising from the peace process in 
order to boost economic growth and advance social and economic regeneration. 
It is made clear that action will concentrate principally on those areas and sections of the 
population most adversely affected by the violence and suffering most acute deprivation. 
2.2 Priorities 
The allocation of funding to the sub-programmes reflects the basic objectives and in 
particular the importance of social inclusion, which is both a specific priority and a value 
which is relevant to all other priorities. 
TABLE 1 MECU 
SUB-PROGRAMME I Amount of Total I % of 
Funding Total 
Employment 55.375 13,4 
Urban & Rural Regeneration 69.008 16,7 
Cross-border Development 66.633 16,2 
Social Inclusion 93.938 22,8 
Investment/Industrial Development 59.855 14,5 
Partnerships (N.Ireland only) 58.940 14,3 
Technical Assistance 8.621 2,1 
412.370 100,0 
3. PROGRESS OF THE PEACE PROGRAMME 
3.1 Administrative Implementation of the Programme 
The Programme is an imaginative response to the needs of Northern Ireland and the 
Border Counties and the means of delivering the Programme are equally innovative. There 
are two principal ways in which this has been achieved, through (a) decentralised delivery 
mechanisms and decision-making and (b) ongoing and formalised consultation. 
(a) Relatively decentralised implementation is one of the principal features of the 
Programme: close to 60% of the total assistance is administered by bodies other than 
Government. There are three main channels. 
The first channel is composed of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and similar 
bodies, being either Intermediary Funding Bodies (IFB) or Sectoral Partners, which are 
together responsible for about 40% of aid. There are five IFB s operating solely in 
Northern Ireland and two in the Border Counties, together with an eighth which operates 
on a cross-border basis. IFBs are independent organisations, with experience of working 
closely with groups to be targeted under this Programme. Four Sectoral Partners in 
Northern Ireland are similar but, in relation to the operation of this Programme, they have 
different and somewhat more direct links to government departments or agencies. 
The second channel is area-based, i.e. 26 District Partnerships in Northern Ireland and six 
County Council-led Task Forces in the Border Counties, which are composed of 
representatives of local interests and which are responsible for some 17% of funding. 
Government departments and agencies constitute the third channel, handling about 43% 
of funding, intended to support mainly economic development and infrastructure. 
This level of decentralisation should be contrasted, for example, with the Northern Ireland 
Single Programme, which is the framework for the more centralised delivery of 
mainstream Structural Funding, where decision-making is largely confined to government 
departments and agencies. 
(b) Ongoing consultation is another important feature of the Programme. The extensive 
consultation process which occurred at the preparatory stage has been prolonged by the 
creation of a Consultative Forum, composed of representatives of a very wide range of 
interests in the eligible areas. It has direct input to the Monitoring Committee through its 
Co-Chairmen, who are members of the Committee. The Forum has proved to be an arena 
in which information and opinions on all aspects of the Programme are expressed and 
conveyed to the Monitoring Committee. 
3.2 Applications, Approvals and Expenditure 
Many of the implementing bodies had to be set up specially or were not familiar with the 
administration of Structural Funds, and in addition, appropriate arrangements had tc be 
made for coordination between the various bodies as well as for adequate administrative 
and accounting procedures. All the necessary arrangements are now well in place and are 
functioning effectively. They will be improved in certain respects as a result of the Mid-
Term Review. 
The Programme has generated a very high level of applications in the eligible areas, which 
is a clear measure of people's awareness of the Programme, and that it is responding to 
their needs. In the Border Counties, 1 400 applications have been received, of which over 
950 have been selected. The total number of applications in Northern Ireland is close to 
14 000, of which over 7 000 have been approved. The rate of increase in applications and 
approvals in Northern Ireland is shown by comparing the figures for 1996 and for the first 
half of 1997: 
TABLE 2 
Northern Ireland Applications Approvals 
_ 7193 ÏQÔÎ 
1997/1 st Half 6 467 4 226 
It is expected that the high level of applications will continue, if additional funding is 
provided, as over 45% of the number of grants approved in 1996 was composed of small 
grants intended to support basic capacity-building, training and project development. A 
high proportion of the small grants will be followed by applications for full project grants: 
this indicates that much worthwhile work is only just beginning, and that further funding 
will be needed to maximise its value, and carry it through. A number of measures are 
already over-committed, partly due to exchange rate movements. By end 1997 the 
resources currently available will have been allocated to project promoters and it is clear 
that further funding will be required to meet existing and future demand and thereby to 
realise the Programme's full potential to respond effectively to needs and opportunities on 
the ground. 
Total expenditure (national and Community spending) under the Programme to end 1996 
amounted to 29 MECU. The forecast for 1997 in the current financial plan approved by 
the Monitoring Committee is 202 MECU. 1997 will be the first full year in which 
approved projects under all sub-programmes will be implemented and a substantial 
acceleration of expenditure will occur as a result. Expenditure of 182 MECU on projects 
approved in 1995-1997 will occur in 1998-1999. 
3.3 Structural Funds' Commitments and Payments 
The other basic measure of the progress of the Programme is the level of Structural 
Funds' commitments and payments. 
Actual and forecast commitments and payments by the Structural Funds, at 9 October 
1997, were as follows: 
EC COMMITMENTS AND PAYMENTS 
TABLE 3 MECU 
COMMITMENTS 
Cumulative to 9.10.1997 
Yet to be made in 1997 
Total to end 1997 
1998-1999 
TOTAL Total 
123.47 
109.75 
233.22 
68.52 
301.74 ERDF 
67.13 
61.87 
128.99 
19.54 
148.53 ESF 
46.28 
40.75 
87.04 
42.31 
129.34 EAGGF 
9.40 
6.79 
16.19 
6.23 
22.41 FIFG 
0.66 
0.34 
1.00 
0.45 
1.45 
PAYMENTS 
Cumulative to 9.10.1997 
Yet to be made in 1997 
Total to end 1997 
Post 1997 
TOTAL Total 
97.85 
67.99 
165.84 
135.90 
301.74 ERDF 
53.70 
34.97 
88.68 
59.86 
148.53 ESF 
36.41 
32.53 
68.93 
60.41 
129.34 EAGGF 
7.41 
0.00 
7.41 
15.00 
22.41 FIFG 
0.33 
0.49 
0.82 
0.63 
1.45 
While all the national and European resources currently available will be fully allocated by 
the implementing bodies in the period 1995-1997, they will not be fully spent, with the 
result that the full amount of Structural Funds' aid of 300 MECU will not be fully 
committed or paid by the Commission until later in the Programme period. 
3.4 Additionality 
A further concern in the implementation of the Programme has been that it is properly 
additional. This has been expressed by the Consultative Forum and by many other 
interested parties. The Commission is attentive to this concern. 
The Programme states that "expenditure under the Programme will be fully additional to 
expenditure which is due to take place in the eligible areas under the Single Programming 
Document (SPD) for Northern Ireland, the Community Support Framework (CSF) for 
Ireland and the Community Initiative programmes." Annual returns of expenditure by the 
UK authorities to the Commission have demonstrated compliance with the additionality 
requirement. For the Border Counties the Department of Finance, in cooperation with the 
sectoral Departments, has provided the baseline data in relation to which additionality has 
been demonstrated. The Commission, in cooperation with the Department of Finance and 
the Border Regional Authority, will continue to monitor that the additionality requirement 
is complied with. 
3.5 Effects of the Programme 
The overall effect of the Programme is clear and important. It tilts activity in favour of 
social and political commitment rather than violence. It gives crucial moral and financial 
support to those searching for common ground and practical ways of working together to 
use that common ground to build a better society. It is for these reasons that continuing 
support is so vital: the overwhelming majority of the people of the region want peace, and 
this Programme is helping them achieve it. 
This support for progress towards peace works in the following ways. 
It is inclusive 
Targeting people who have been marginalised reduces alienation, and with it the support 
and potential for violence. 
Since ideas for actions come substantially from the people themselves, rather than being 
offered to them, a sense of ownership can develop. Grass-roots, bottom-up involvement 
gives everyone more of a stake in trying to move forwards rather than back. 
In addition, the policy of involving people "on the ground" as much as possible in the 
whole process of management and implementation has meant that substantial 
responsibility is also transferred. The level of decision-making is brought closer to people 
previously left out. 
It encourages consensus instead of confrontation: 
Inclusion and involvement encourage new approaches to decision-making and resolution 
of differences. Consensus building is necessary to achieve objectives. Alliances across 
differences are crucial in resolving practical problems. Confrontation is generally counter­
productive. In a region where opportunities to work together have been too few, the 
Peace Programme has provided important structures and incentives which have 
encouraged co-operation. This has been most notably demonstrated in the case of the 
District Partnerships. The result has been that people can see directly the value of a stable 
society, and the value of using argument and debate to tackle differences, rather than 
other more destructive paths. 
It provides a European dimension. 
European involvement helps to remould the situation by providing support for action in a 
new and independent framework which is perceived to be non-partisan and neutral. It 
encourages and provides opportunities for attitudes and activities which are characteristic 
of the Union's own evolution - social inclusion, partnership and dialogue, finding common 
interests and working together with a common purpose. In particular, two significant 
developments have occurred. The Programme has greatly expanded the role of civil 
society, by its inclusiveness and by giving non-governmental bodies the opportunity to be 
active agents of change and development. In addition, the District Partnerships constitute 
a working model of local cooperation, which involves political representatives across the 
spectrum who put aside their differences on other matters for the sake of their 
communities. The Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action summarises the 
9 
approach as follows: "The European Community is about building trust, cooperation and 
partnership between former enemies. The Special Support Programme for Peace and 
Reconciliation is a micro version of that central theme. It is the most "European" thing the 
European Union has done in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. It is the most 
specific demonstration of the core values of the Union expressed at any regional level 
within the Union". 
4. MID-TERM REVIEW 
4.1 Progress Examined in the Mid-Term Review 
The preceding sections have summarised progress made to date in the execution of the 
Programme. Progress is now being examined in the formal and obligatory Mid-Term 
Review, which is one of the principal responsibilities of the Monitoring Committee, 
requiring it to review progress and to make any necessary adjustments. In doing so, the 
Committee has the assistance of the Consultative Forum, which reported on the 
implementation, the impact and the rationale and future of the Programme. In addition, 
consultants were engaged to carry out a Mid-Term Evaluation, their report has been 
presented and discussed at two special meetings of the Committee. At a special meeting to 
be held later this year, the Monitoring Committee is expected to take decisions to 
complete the Mid-Term Review. 
The Consultative Forum's consultation of applicants, beneficiaries and other interests 
revealed that, while there were issues to be addressed in relation to coordination and 
cohesion, the Programme was broadly welcomed and felt to have the potential to make a 
real impact. In particular, the strengthening of local democracy and decision-making was 
viewed as the most obvious and successful impact on peace and reconciliation to date. 
Finally, the Forum pointed out that the Programme, despite its innovation and targeted 
intent, cannot substitute for a meaningful political process and that its impact would be 
greatly enhanced if such a process were taking place. 
The Mid-Term Evaluation (which examined the operation of the Programme to end-
1996) noted the large volume of applications; pointed out that, as a result of the 
Programme's complexity, special nature and degree of decentralisation, the 
implementation mechanisms took some time to establish; and its overall conclusion with 
respect to operational effectiveness was that the delivery mechanisms had been effective in 
making progress towards the utilisation of the funds. The consultants surveyed applicants 
and found that on average 69% regarded the funding bodies as having performed 
adequately or very adequately. While the peace process searched for new and more 
productive ways forward, 88% considered that the need for this Programme was now 
greater than when it was launched. Even in the absence of a stable peace, the need to 
pursue reconciliation efforts was widely accepted and 76% of applicants claimed that their 
projects would have a direct impact on reconciliation.The report shows that in Northern 
Ireland funds are effectively channelled to the most disadvantaged areas and also that both 
communities are being treated equitably. The impacts at this stage are primarily process 
benefits: e.g. the Programme's procedures and practices are intended to be inclusive and 
participatory and thus to promote social inclusion. In particular District Partnerships are 
cross-community multi-sectoral bodies which facilitate cooperation and consensus. No 
proposals are made for changes in the measures or for shifts of resources within the 
Programme. The report refers to the presence of a substantial "pipeline" of applications: 
certain sub-programmes were already over-subscribed at the end of 1996. Finally, the 
10 
consultants make several recommendations designed to improve monitoring, coordination 
and complementarity. 
4.2 The Commission Approach to the Mid-Term Review 
In its approach to the Mid-Term Review and the second phase of the Programme, the 
Commission will be guided more particularly_by the following considerations. 
The Commission believes that the strategic aim of the Programme - to reinforce progress 
towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation - remains valid. 
Experience has shown that funding bodies and project promoters require additional 
guidance on the link between a particular project and strengthening peace and 
reconciliation. Project promoters and funding bodies should be able to give a clear answer 
to the question "how does my project/the activities we support sustain and strengthen 
peace and/or promote reconciliation?" 
While the basic structure of seven Sub-Programmes will remain unchanged, the Mid-Term 
Review provides an opportunity to examine the measures within the Sub-Programmes, 
with a view to continuing those which correspond best to the aims of the Programme, 
taking into account both the substance of the actions supported and the procedures and 
processes which characterise the various measures. If necessary, certain measures will be 
deleted or merged and new measures will be added. The allocation of resources for the 
second phase of the Programme will be guided by the outcome of this review. 
In reviewing the performance of the three channels for the distribution of assistance 
(Government Departments and agencies, Intermediary Funding Bodies, area-based bodies 
such as District Partnerships and County Council-led Task Forces), attention will be paid 
both to the effectiveness of their operations and the extent to which their methods have 
been open and inclusive. In addition, a clearer definition is required of the roles and 
responsibilities of sectoral implementing bodies, such as Departments and IFBs, and 
territorial bodies, such as District Partnerships and Task Forces, in order to avoid any 
duplication and to ensure coordination and cooperation. Finally, the requirements and 
procedures relating to applications should be re-examined with a view to simplifying and 
shortening them wherever possible. 
In their evaluation report, the consultants made several recommendations designed to 
improve monitoring and evaluation as well as co-ordination and complementarity. The 
Commission expects that these recommendations will be examined and implemented and, 
in particular, that the "comprehensive database of all projects assisted under this initiative 
will be established and made available to the public", as specified in the Programme 
document. 
The Commission acknowledges the special contribution to the Mid-Term Review which 
has been made by Northern Ireland's members of the European Parliament, Dr. I. Paisley. 
Mr. J. Hume and Mr. J. Nicholson, who have published a report which contains a careful 
review of experience to date together with constructive proposals for the second phase of 
the Programme. 
11 
5. CONTINUATION OF THE PROGRAMME 
5.1 The Political Context 
The political context in which the Programme is being implemented has much improved 
in recent months. At ground level, decisions taken by the Orange Order concerning the 
routes of several parades in summer 1997 greatly reduced the amount of conflict. The 
IRA decision to renew its ceasefire, added to the existing ceasefire by loyalist 
paramilitaries, transforms the situation and permits all attention and efforts to focus on 
reaching a political settlement. Energetic efforts are being made by political parties in 
Northern Ireland, aided and encouraged by both the British Government and the Irish 
Government, to reach a comprehensive political settlement. Substantive political 
negotiations have started, with a view to reaching an agreement by May 1998. This would 
be put to the people north and south of the border in two referenda, offering a historic 
accord to all the people living on the island of Ireland. 
5.2 The Need for the Programme 
While there are signs of hope in the political situation, it is clear that profound changes in 
attitudes and practices are required to sustain peace and to provide a solid foundation for 
a political settlement.. The contribution made by the Programme is becoming ever more 
substantial. 
Some examples of projects which have been assisted are contained in Annex 1, to 
illustrate the range and impact of activities supported by the Programme. They 
demonstrate what have become the hallmarks of the Programme, including: a transparent, 
inclusive style of decision-making about policy and activity; an insistence on local and 
bottom-up input, thereby fostering a sense of ownership; highlighting the importance of 
partnerships, and of striving for consensus; empowering new levels of society, through 
decentralisation and involvement; concentrating on practical advances rather than 
questions of principle; using all the above to bring a new approach to the search for peace 
and reconciliation. 
This contribution made by the Programme should not be underestimated. It has 
transformed the way many people "do business", resulting in new and better ways of 
relating to each other. 
5.3 Why European Union Support Must Continue 
The fact that this Programme is supported by the European Union is of central 
significance. 
The people who want to build a peaceful and cooperative society need support. European 
support and solidarity through the Peace Programme is an absolutely crucial element of 
that support. Europe's success in overcoming its divisions over the last 50 years is an 
important example. Moreover, European support is perceived as neutral and independent 
- money without colour - and it therefore reaches people who would otherwise remain 
outside. 
It has been said that the art of the Schuman Plan was "to extract a policy from a need" -
to create powerful positive energy from potentially destructive ingredients. The European 
framework and resources are liberating positive and creative forces in Northern Ireland 
12 
and the Border Counties, thereby preparing a better future for all the people in those 
regions. 
The Commission believes that telling the story of the Programme is in itself one of the 
outputs of the Programme. This Programme is a European success story: it is using EU 
funding to bring substantially closer the resolution of a long and bloody conflict, and its 
contribution is well-recognised. Nor is the contribution just one-way: it is the intention of 
many of those involved that they will actively assist the exchange of experience between 
this Programme and EU-supported activities elsewhere, so that experience gained in a 
programme which is exceptional, by reason of its focus on combating social exclusion and 
its very decentralised implementation system, may be available to other regions. 
5.4 Conclusion 
In conclusion, the high level of applications, the capacity of the implementing bodies to 
distribute funding effectively and above all the potential contribution of this Programme to 
sustaining peace and promoting reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border 
Counties (and elsewhere, through the transfer of experience) justify the continuation of 
EU support at its present level in 1998 and further support in 1999. 
13 
ANNEX 1 
Examples of Activities 
Some examples of projects which have been assisted may illustrate the range and impact 
of activities supported by the Programme. 
Enterprise and Employment 
Worktrain Ballymena is providing vocational education and training in a particularly 
disadvantaged area, where the unemployment rate is over 18%. The project aims to 
guarantee that those who complete a training course will be trained to standards which 
assure an interview with Sainsburys stores for any appropriate vacancy. Local people are 
very proud that this employment initiative is sited in their housing estate. A paramilitary 
mural design on the building was voluntarily removed by those who had placed it there. 
The Nerve Centre in Londonderry offers a multi-media production training course for the 
young and long-term unemployed. The objective is to provide access for disadvantaged 
people to the new employment opportunities created by the technology of interactive 
media, through a full-time course lasting 18 months. 
Magherafelt Women's Group secured project funding for a well researched, innovative, 
project proposal which targets twenty-four women drawn from both sections of the 
community in Rural South Deny. This community business initiative, based on the 
manufacture and restoration of furniture, aims to form a strong co-operative business 
structure with significant export potential. An integral component of this process will be 
the opportunity for the women to tackle community relations issues directly and to reflect 
on how these issues affect their daily lives and how they might impinge on their future 
business activities. 
The Interest Rate Subsidy Scheme offered a subsidy calculated at 4% per annum on 
qualifying loans over a five-year period. Eligible proposals far exceeded the funds 
available. In Northern Ireland, which received over 80% of the available funds, over 60% 
of approved projects relate to firms employing fewer than 50 people, are located in 
deprived areas and/or contribute to competitiveness, innovation and export growth. The 
potential job creation in Northern Ireland amounts to 7700: almost 75% of these new jobs 
will be in deprived areas. 
Social Inclusion 
WAVE is an organisation which offers care and support to anyone bereaved or 
traumatised by violence, irrespective of their religious, cultural or political beliefs. It 
promotes respect for life and an understanding of difference that is seen as enhancing 
rather than threatening. It affirms and acknowledges that there are ways of resolving 
difference other than through the use of violence and continually seeks creative ways of 
working through issues that have the potential to divide. 
An Crann/The Tree facilitates peace-building at local level through a range of community-
based arts initiatives, which record personal experiences of sectarian conflict. 
A Development Trust in an urban area is providing high-quality training, incorporating 
work experience in youth and community work, to a small number of ex-prisoners. The 
14 
participants are adequately supported to ensure that they make the most of the 
opportunity. The experience gained in this pilot project will guide the design of actions for 
much larger numbers of current and future ex-prisoners. 
A wide range of activities and organisations for women has been supported, including 
local groups such as Women on Rural Development (Armagh) and the Waterside 
Women's Group (Londonderry); Women's News - a publishing group which was helped 
to develop its project and to employ an outreach worker to make links with women's 
groups; and cross-border projects such as those organised by the Federation of Women's 
Institutes and the Irish Countrywomen's Association. 
Parents and Kids Together aims to encourage relationships between children and parents 
from both traditions in Lurgan. Work with children in the 5-10 age group is going beyond 
mere contact in order to help them grow up with a better understanding of the society in 
which they live. Parents are actively involved in promoting understanding and 
reconciliation, thus changing attitudes of whole families in all areas of the town. 
An initiative taken by one of the IFBs, the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, is 
particularly interesting . NIVT retained the Mediation Network to bring together 
participants in different projects if conflict and disorder arose in the summer months, in 
order to maintain inter-community relations and to provide a counterweight to the forces 
of disorder. 
Cross-Border 
Support for cross-border projects includes the reconstruction of the Aghalane Bridge and 
its approach roads, which will facilitate trade, tourism and social contact. It also includes a 
variety of business and cultural links and cooperation between public bodies. 
Mulmufis a small, privately-owned exhaust manufacturing company in Co. Sligo, which is 
a supplier to F.G. Wilson in Larne, a firm which plans to double its turnover as a result of 
a joint venture agreement with the Caterpillar Corporation. Grant-aid enabled Mulmuf to 
invest rapidly to expand its production and, as a result, to take on additional workers. 
An innovative cross-community and cross-border project involving six schools has been 
supported. The project aims to involve children in a variety of joint activities; to introduce 
children arid communities to other European children and cultures; and to use the latest 
information technology in doing so. 
Border Counties 
In the Border Counties, FM Cleaning Systems provides a specialised contract cleaning 
service to the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors. It was started in 1994 by a 
disabled person and it now employs 17 persons. The company has received grant-aid 
which will enable it to expand its business by becoming sole distributor for 
environmentally-friendly cleaning systems. Because of his own experiences as a disabled 
person seeking work, the firm's proprietor is committed to providing employment for the 
long-term unemployed. 
County Leitrim is the most socially and economically disadvantaged county in the 
Republic. The Co. Leitrim Partnership has been assisted to undertake several actions, 
including child-care provision, promoting the involvement of women in development and 
15 
the creation of a multi-functional Development and Education Centre, which will be of 
particular help to early school-leavers and to adult education. 
Assistance was given to a group which undertook to establish the number and the needs 
of ex-prisoners who were not associated with the principal paramilitary organisations. The 
group intends to provide personal and practical support through a service which will be 
open to all former prisoners. 
Activities such as these do not appear in newspaper headlines or on television screens but 
they illustrate the capacity of the Programme to generate a huge range of activities which 
contribute to economic and social development or to dealing with the results of conflict. 
16 
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