Following his speech at the European ParliamentConference on the Future of EU Funding in Northern Ireland , Jim said,
“The Peace and Reconciliation Fund is in my opinion now in grave danger of not being extended past 2014. Communities and groups who have benefited from PEACE funding should be aware of the current situation. Northern Ireland cannot afford to lose this slice of funding. Due to its stance on the EU Budget the UK Government has suggested that it will not support this extension.
While the UK Government do claim to support a Peace IV Programme in name, the message I have been receiving suggests that the funding will not come as a separate pot of money as has happened in previous years; rather it will be top-sliced from already-existing structural funds.
I regret that we have found ourselves in this uncertain situation, especially as I worked hard to fight for Peace and Reconciliation Funding for Northern Ireland since its establishment in the mid-nineties. I am now working closely with those organisations which currently benefit from Peace III funds in order to advise them about their options and the future of their projects.”