Applying to Peace III

• European Union
• Peace III

The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Regions for 2007-2013 (Peace III Programme) is a distinctive EU Structural Funds Programme that is established to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation.

In total €332.89 million will be available over the next 7 years to assist Northern Ireland and the Border Region to focus on reconciling communities and contributing towards a shared society. The Programme will carry forward key aspects of the previous Peace Programmes - (PEACE I and II) and will have a resounding emphasis on reconciliation.

In general the key principles of the programme revolve around a focus on reconciliation, a streamlining of structures and processes, a more outcome and strategic focused approach with reduced open calls and a strong cross-border focus across the programme.

Programme priorities?

The PEACE III Programme will focus on two strategic priorities. These are:

PRIORITY 1: Reconciling Communities
Theme 1.1 Building positive relations at the local level: €140 million

Under this theme the programme will support projects and activities that will facilitate relationships on a cross- community and/or cross-border basis to assist in addressing issues of trust, prejudice and intolerance and in accepting commonalities and differences.

Theme 1.2 Acknowledging and dealing with the past: €50 million

Key activities within this theme will seek to acknowledge and deal with the hurt, losses and trauma and suffering caused by the conflict. The Community Relations Council and Border Action jointly administer this measure.

PRIORITY 2: Contributing to a Shared Society
Theme 2.1 Creating shared public spaces: €82 million

This objective aims to regenerate urban, rural and border areas that appear derelict, segregated, underused, threatening and/or unwelcoming and transform them into shared spaces and maximise the potential for reconciliation and economic development

Theme 2.2. Developing key institutional capacities for a shared society: €40 million

In short it aims to help enhance public sector delivery so that our public sector is better able to deal, in a more targeted manner, with the issues that contribute to a shared society. This will include identifying and supporting innovative public sector delivery models to promote shared services that have previously been delivered along sectarian lines.

Implications for Groups/Projects
The implications this has for projects now termed operations will be of much more strategic orientation and less in number (due to reduced funds available), but they will be on a larger scale.

• The number of potential applicants is likely to be a lot less also as they are unlikely to meet the eligibility requirements hence a lot less applicants than previous programmes.
• Instead of a range of Intermediate Funding Bodies the administration of the Programme will fall to the SEUPB, Border Action, and the Community Relations Council.

Due to this fact they will be subject to very tight audit controls. The Managing Authority will absorb a lot of this and it will be built into each letter of offer so operations (projects) are aware that this is part of receiving funding i.e. they know budget responsibility must be built into each grant awarded accordingly.

In many areas of the new Programme, the Community and Voluntary Sector will not be a lead partner so a lot of these extra auditing arrangements will be the responsibility of the Lead Partner who will tend to be Local Councils.

Public calls for applications are made on a theme by theme basis instead of applications under the whole programme being called for at once.

For more details please take a look at the advice note attached or alternatively visit the Special EU Programmes Body website www.seupb.eu