Northern Ireland proves ‘economic success’ with EU funds

Commission president José Manuel Barroso has met Northern Irish leaders for talks on how a key €1.1bn EU funds package to the region will be used.

First minister Ian Paisley and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness were in Brussels on Thursday for the first time in their current roles to welcomed the aid.

Over the next six years, funds granted under several EU programmes will focus more on growth and innovation initiatives, rather than the peace process, which has seen the bulk of EU funding up until now.

“Northern Ireland is indeed a great case of economic success,” said Barroso, “and there are good and important investment opportunities there."

Over the last five years, the region has received around €2.5bn in aid from the EU.

But Barroso went on. “This relationship is about much more than money.”

The Portuguese commission chief wants to use Northern Ireland as an inspiration in conflict resolution for other war-torn parts of the world.

“The most important thing is to understand the experience of conflict cases,” he said. “Peace is stronger than conflict. When there is goodwill, we can make peace advance.”

The commission president said that €42m of the total funds pledged has already been deployed in the North to “kick-start” investment. The aim, he said, was to get 3500 new business start-ups each year.

In November the commission announced three new programmes for the North under its cohesion policy, including a peace programme, measures on competitiveness and employment and cross-border cooperation with Scotland.

Both Northern ministers thanked the commission president for his interest in the country, but Paisley went one step further, saying the EU has been generous where the UK government has not.

“We have found the doors in Europe open where we have found the doors in Whitehall closed,” he said. “We have an ear in high places now.”

An EU task force was set up in June to advise Northern Ireland on how to make the best use of European funds.

Barroso wants to extend its mandate to create a one-stop-shop for the region. The group is due to release its final report sometime in February.

McGuinness said the task force had given the North “tremendous encouragement”, especially for the regeneration of the region, support for small businesses, infrastructure and travel.

“The purpose in coming here is to strengthen our links with the EU,” he said. “We’re only a very small speck on the map but there’s a growing demand to learn from our experience.”

One bone of contention arose when Martin McGuinness’s party, Sinn Fein, was accused by a reporter of undermining the ratification of the Lisbon treaty in the Irish Republic.

Sinn Fein MEP Mary Lou McDonald has campaigned against the ratification of the treaty on the grounds that it limits Irish sovereignty and neutrality.

“Unfortunately, as an Irish republican, I live in a part of the country where we’re denied an opportunity to have a say on the treaty,” McGuinness said. But, he added, the referendum in Ireland doesn’t affect the North’s relations with the EU.

Paisley came out in agreement. “We’re in a democracy,” he added. “I think the UK should have a referendum on this subject.”

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