A4-0068/95

Resolution on the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on a special support programme for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and on the draft notice to the Member States laying down guidelines for an initiative in the framework of the special support programme for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (COM(94)0607 - C4-0267/94),

- having regard to the Commission's draft notice to Member States (SEC(95)0279 - C4-0084/95),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy and the Committee on Social Affairs and Employment (A4-0068/95),

1. Welcomes the Commission's rapid response to the cessation of the violence in Northern Ireland and the decision of the Essen European Council to support a special Community Initiative to facilitate the establishment of lasting peace;

2. Is encouraged by the proposal to develop and refocus European Union policies towards Northern Ireland and the border counties in order to assist in the regeneration of those communities most affected by the conflict;

3. Supports the emphasis on the promotion of growth and employment, social inclusion, urban and rural regeneration, cross-border cooperation and industrial development;

4. Welcomes the widespread consultation with local authorities, business, trade unions, voluntary and other groups, and hopes that such consultation will be a continuing feature of the Community Initiative;

5. Insists on the need for the special and distinct nature of the programme to be made clear, and in particular for the additionality principle to be clearly upheld;

6. Recognises the advantages of cooperation between the EU and other organisations involved in complementary initiatives in Ireland;

7. Calls on the Commission and Council to ensure that existing EU programmes are implemented rapidly;

8. Underlines the need for coordination between this proposal for a Community Initiative and other structural measures co-financed by the Union in the area;

9. Calls on the Commission to provide technical assistance for communities and organisations in preparing projects to be considered within the framework of the initiative;

10. Supports the objective of ensuring that the programme benefits all communities, within Northern Ireland and between Northern Ireland and the border counties, in a balanced and equitable manner while focusing on those areas and sections of the population most affected by deprivation;

11. Emphasises that fair employment and equal opportunities must be respected in the planning and implementation of the Initiative;

12. Suggests that all support projects for Northern Ireland should promote greater awareness about the need for preserving the natural and built environment;

13. Recognises that the special Initiative is a particularly innovative proposal, and therefore hopes that it will combine effective budgetary control with flexible administration;

14. Recalls that as early as the first reading of the draft budget for 1995 it voted to increase appropriations for the peace and reconciliation process in Northern Ireland, subject to revision of the financial perspective;

15. Notes that the revision of the financial perspective enabled the ceiling for heading 2 to be raised by ECU 200 m and that this enables the programme for peace and reconciliation to receive funding up to that level;

16. Is prepared, as an arm of the budgetary authority, to see the budget allocation for this programme increased and asks the Commission to request a corresponding revision of the financial perspective;

17. Asks the Commission, failing a revision of the financial perspective, to revise the financial statement as required by Article 3 of the Financial Regulation;

18. Requests that the four-month deadline for submission of proposals (paragraph 14 of the draft notice) be replaced by a two-month deadline;

19. Intends to give its opinion on any further Commission proposal on the special Community Initiative;

20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.