Stenograma dezbaterilor

Luni, 19 mai 2008 - Strasbourg

25. Evaluarea programului PEACE şi strategii pentru viitor (dezbatere)

  Przewodniczący. − Kolejnym punktem porządku dziennego jest sprawozdanie sporządzone przez Bairbre de Brún w imieniu Komisji Rozwoju Regionalnego w sprawie oceny programu na rzecz pokoju oraz strategii na przyszłość (2007/2150(INI)) (A6-0133/2008).

  Bairbre de Brún, Rapóirtéir. − A Uachtaráin, chuir an Clár um Shíocháin agus Athmhuintearas cuid mhór leis an phróiseas síochána agus le próiseas athmhuintearais náisiúnta in Éirinn.

Dáileadh EUR 750 milliún ón chéad chlár, PEACE I, idir 1995 agus 1999 agus EUR 994 milliún ón dara clár, PEACE II, idir 2000 agus 2007. Dáilfear EUR 333 milliún sa tríú clár, PEACE III, ó seo go dtí 2013.

Is mór an tairbhe a baineadh as na suimeanna airgid le tacaíocht a thabhairt dóibh siúd ar spéis leo teacht as coimhlint agus páirt a ghlacadh sa phróiseas athmhuintearais. Ina theannta sin, is é a bhí sna suimeanna úd ná infheistíocht mhaith mar a fheicimid leis an gheilleagar fiontrach ag teacht chun cinn i dTuaisceart Éireann agus sna ceantair teorann.

Ar ndóigh is próiseas leanúnach é próiseas an athmhuintearais agus tógáil síochána. Anois, i mBéal Feirste tá feidhmeannas comhroinnte cumhachta ag déileáil le ceisteanna áitiúla do dhaoine áitiúla. Deich lá ó shin, bhí comhdháil infheistíochta mhór ar siúl i mBéal Feirste mar a raibh infheisteoirí ag scrúdú go bríomhar deiseanna infheistíochta. Taispeánann na céimeanna seo muinín nua sa pholaitíocht agus inár dtodhchaí eacnamaíoch. Bhí páirt mhór ag ionchur PEACE chun an mhuinín sin a spreagadh agus ag ionchur ón Chiste Idirnáisiúnta d’Éirinn – arb é an tAontas Eorpach an ranníocóir is mó anois ann.

Agus na rannpháirtithe anois ag cur tús le cur i bhfeidhm an tríú clár, PEACE III, is pléisiúr dom barúil na parlaiminte i leith na hoibre atá déanta go dtí seo a thabhairt agus roinnt breathnuithe ar ról PEACE amach anseo a chur chun tosaigh. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le baill an Choiste um Fhorbairt Réigiúnach as ucht a dtacaíochta agus leis na scáthrapoirtéirí go háirithe as ucht ionchur seo acu go dtí seo.

Is iad rannpháirteachas, aithint idirspleáchas gach duine, cur chun cinn na héagsúlachta, agus díothú rathúil neamhionannais atá ina n-eilimintí tábhachtacha de thógáil síochána agus atógáil sochaithe, mar an gcéanna le cosaint agus cur chun cinn chearta an duine.

Leis na cláir PEACE, cumhachtaíodh na daoine is mó a ndeachaigh an choimhlint go mór i bhfeidhm orthu chun cabhrú le síocháin a thógáil go gníomhach agus go muiníneach. Tá cumasú daoine áitiúla mar chuid lárnach den chlár PEACE agus ba mhaith liom an deis seo a thapú chun ómós a thabhairt do na heagraíochtaí deonacha, don lucht gnó, do na grúpaí pobail, do na comhairlí áitiúla agus dóibh siúd atá ag obair le hiarchimí, agus le híospartaigh agus le marthanóirí as ucht a dtiomantais dhaingin don phobal agus don phróiseas athmhuintearais.

Níor chóir don chomhoibriú stopadh idir rannpháirtithe i gcláir arna maoiniú ag PEACE nuair a thiocfaidh na cláir sin chun deiridh. Iarraimid ar na ranna rialtais an obair sin, a chruthaigh go raibh sí éifeachtach, a chothú agus a chinntiú go leanfar den chistiú don obair luachmhar seo. Ba chóir bealach a fháil go háirithe lena bhféadfaidh grúpaí tacaíochta íospartach agus marthanóirí leanúint de thacaíocht airgeadais a fháil tar éis deireadh a bheith tagtha le cistúchán PEACE.

Ar ndóigh is féidir rud éigin a thabhairt ar ais fosta agus taithí a mhalartú faoi na nithe ar éirigh go maith leo i dtograí cistithe ag PEACE I mar aon leis an Chiste Idirnáisiúnta d’Éireann. Ba chóir go roinnfí an t-eispéireas arna fháil ó na tograí seo leo siúd a bhíonn ag gabháil d’obair eile tógála síochána go hidirnáisiúnta agus tá na féidearthachtaí faoi chaibidil faoi láthair.

Is é atá sa tuarascáil ná iarracht a dhéanamh na ceachtanna atá le foghlaim a chur faoi bhur mbráid agus fáiltím roimh an díospóireacht seo anocht.

  Danuta Hübner, Member of the Commission. − Mr President, honourable Members, Ms de Brún, let me start by thanking you very much for the excellent work on the evaluation of the PEACE programme and also strategies for the future. The Commission shares with you the opinion that the European Union’s interventions in support of the peace process in Northern Ireland have contributed in bringing the two communities closer together and have helped the development of cross-community and cross-border linkages.

The Commission also recognises that peace-building is a long-term and multi-dimensional process and we also recognise that peace-building requires a flexible approach and the willingness to allow for experimentation and the adoption of innovative measures. But perhaps the most important lesson learned from the PEACE programme is the effectiveness of the bottom-up approach. This has enabled people and organisations working on the ground to tackle the problems and issues faced by the communities at local level. It has brought people from both communities together and given them, very importantly, a sense of ownership of, and the responsibility for, the peace process.

Targeting those most affected by the conflict is important, but the projects dealing with young people, our future, have been equally important in changing attitudes and perceptions. Last but not least we have learned that the projects in support of women are essential since the role of women in peace-building and promoting reconciliation is a key factor in bringing stability and durability to the process.

The Commission also considers that the experience of the EU interventions in Northern Ireland and the peace-building initiatives should indeed be recorded with the objective of passing on good practice to other areas of the world, emerging from conflict or facing similar problems of social integration. I know that Northern Ireland is actively working on the establishment of a centre for conflict resolution and they have my support in taking this forward.

Allow me also to mention the successful Northern Ireland workshop during the Open Days in October last year. Indeed, not only was the event fully booked but it generated a network which is currently being set up for sharing experience on peace and reconciliation. It will also be followed up by a workshop during this year’s Open Days, in early October.

I shall stop here. I thank you for your excellent report and shall now listen to Parliament’s debate.

  Lambert van Nistelrooij, namens de PPE-DE-Fractie. – Als er in Europa heel bijzondere omstandigheden zijn, moeten wij ook met heel bijzondere maatregelen komen. In dit geval is er echt maatwerk geleverd dat met innovaties tot stand is gekomen dankzij de middelen uit het Regionaal Ontwikkelingsfonds.

Hier hebben wij echt de harten van de mensen bereikt, hier hebben wij de keukentafel bereikt en hier hebben wij in maatschappelijke organisaties kunnen werken waar vertrouwen zo belangrijk is. Vertrouwen in die omgeving waaraan inderdaad, met de grote spanningen die in Noord-Ierland zijn geweest, zo'n behoefte was. In dit verband ben ik het geheel met commissaris Hübner eens dat dit een goed voorbeeld is van een geval waarin dit soort instrumenten, dit soort middelen moeten worden ingezet, zoals ook in vergelijkbare situaties, bijvoorbeeld op Cyprus.

De heer Nicholson, de schaduwrapporteur van de PPE-DE-Fractie, heeft zijn vliegtuig gemist, vandaar dat ik als eerste spreek. Mag ik dan toch zeggen dat ik als coördinator het PEACE III-programma van harte ondersteun, met name de rol van de mensen en- ik wees er al op - de grensoverschrijdende aspecten. Het feit dat daarbij ook mensen in de rest van Ierland worden betrokken, alsmede de infrastructuur zijn van groot belang.

  Catherine Stihler, on behalf of the PSE Group. – Mr President, you cannot put a price on peace, but the series of PEACE programmes in Northern Ireland since 1995 have supported the peace process in Ireland with a goal of reinforcing a peaceful and stable society and promoting reconciliation in the region. I congratulate Bairbre de Brún on this own-initiative report, which describes the positive results and best practice gained from this EU programme. The peace-building aspect of the programme is crucial for the future of Northern Ireland and offers lessons for other EU Member States with a history of conflict.

The PEACE II programme allowed for valuable exchanges of experience between areas – including Albania, Belarus, Moldavia, Serbia, Ukraine and Bosnia. I welcome the current discussion on the possibilities of creating a Europe-wide network of regions and cities that are coming out of conflict, that have experience in coming out of conflict or that are living with conflict and exclusion. Reconciliation is a long-term process and I support the continuation of the PEACE programme. Within the process it is important to involve local communities, and Mrs de Brún’s report highlights the wide range of projects including childcare, after-school projects, enterprise parks and small business enterprise, in both the rural and urban areas. Many of the projects funded under PEACE were set up to serve local requirements. They also attracted a wide range of diverse participants to seek a common aim or benefit and help in developing models for public engagement in policy development. Women’s groups played a very positive role in peace-building. I thank Mrs de Brún and I hope that all will support this constructive report.

  Marian Harkin, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, first of all I want to congratulate the rapporteur, Bairbre de Brún, on her excellent report, which highlights the significant contribution of the PEACE programme to fostering peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border counties. It also outlines how lessons learned and best practice achieved should be shared with those who are engaged in other international peace-building work.

I am pleased that the rapporteur accepted my amendment, which states that it is vital that peace-building programmes, in particular those involving community and voluntary groups, continue to be financially supported when the PEACE funds come to an end. Indeed, the report makes it clear that government departments on both sides of the border should ensure mainstream funding continues for this very important work, once EU funding finishes. It is crucial that we do not pull the plug on community and voluntary groups that are engaged in this valuable work. That would break trust with communities and would diminish much of the good work under way. Community and voluntary organisations need to be able to work to a strategic plan and not on a short-term basis where they cannot plan for the future.

In this context, it is also important that those groups are not caught out in the funding gap between PEACE II and PEACE III. I have written to the Commission and received a response on this issue. Before I came down to the Chamber tonight, I once again had a look at the long list of community groups on both sides of the border who have received PEACE funds and who have been actively involved in peace-building, in reconciliation and in regeneration projects. The EU can be assured that PEACE money was well spent and that the added value of volunteer time and volunteer work has made the PEACE programme a model for value for money.

We often speak in this House of bringing Europe closer to the citizens. The PEACE programme was, and is, a tangible mechanism to connect Europe with the citizens. As Commissioner Hübner has said here this evening, it shows the value of the bottom-up approach and also highlights the important role of women in peace-building. This is an example of the EU reaching out to its citizens, acting as a catalyst for change and, in this case, citizens responding fully and wholeheartedly.

  Seán Ó Neachtain, thar ceann an Ghrúpa UEN. – A Uachtaráin, ba mhaith liom a rá ar dtús go bhfáiltím roimh an tuarascáil seo. Nuair a bhí Tuaisceart Éireann deighilte ag achrann agus ag aighneas thug ceannairí agus Institiúidí an Aontais Eorpaigh tacaíocht speisialta agus spreagadh do mhuintir an Tuaiscirt chun iad a threorú ar bhóthar na síochána. Mar a dúirt an rapóirtéir Bairbre de Brún, b’fhiú EUR 1.65 billiún an méid sin agus EUR 333 milliún eile le teacht amach romhainn.

Tréaslaím leis an rapóirtéir Bairbre de Brún. Ach is aisteach an rud é, i measc na ndaoine is mó a fuair buntáiste agus a fuair tacaíocht ón bhfeachtas seo chun cúnamh airgid a thabhairt, tá an dream atá ag cur i gcoinne Chonradh Liospóin faoi láthair agus i gcoinne an phróisis Eorpaigh – sin iad Sinn Féin. Ní dhéanann ceannaire Shinn Féin, Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh, tagairt don EUR 1.65 billiún go minic. Mar dá mbeadh muid ag éisteacht leo, ní bheadh Éire san Aontas Eorpach ar chor ar bith. Ní bheadh muid sa gcóras chun airgead a fháil don phróiseas síochána ón Eoraip. Agus caithfidh mé a rá gurb shin é an rud a chuireann díomá ormsa anseo tráthnóna sa bParlaimint.

  Jim Allister (NI). – Mr President, this is a report of verbiage, not substance, just as much of the PEACE funding itself was spent upon froth.

The irony, of course, of an IRA/Sinn Féin MEP being rapporteur on a report on peace will not be lost on thousands of people in Northern Ireland whom her wicked organisation made victims through its pernicious terrorist campaign.

It is no surprise to me that she can produce a report talking about peace without a single blushing reference, without a scintilla of regret as to how we came to need peace: because, make no mistake about it, of her IRA’s decades of terror.

Nor am I surprised that she makes no mention of one of the gross failures of the PEACE programme, namely the inequality in distribution between the two communities in Northern Ireland, with the Protestant Unionist community not getting its fair share of funding. Not something, of course, likely to concern Miss de Brún.

Finally, let me place on record that the relative peace we have today in Northern Ireland is primarily due not to some EU peace programme but to the remarkable tenacity, courage and sacrifice of our marvellous security forces, who faced down the IRA which robbed us of peace for so long.

  Ioannis Kasoulides (PPE-DE). – Mr President, the PEACE programme has contributed to the peace process in Northern Ireland not only in terms of financial assistance but also by helping to bring the two communities together. Its approach has been to work with civil society and NGOs to promote active citizenship. It has allowed the individuals involved to seek solutions to their own problems. This is an example of the Commission’s contribution to peace-building and reconciliation, and it should be congratulated on this.

The report refers to sharing the experience gained by PEACE with other regions facing similar problems. As a Member from Cyprus, I think it would be extremely interesting to put this experience into effect in the case of Cyprus. I call on the Government of Cyprus and on the Commission to examine this possibility as a component in the provisions of any political settlement.

  Σταύρος Αρναουτάκης (PSE). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, το πρόγραμμα PEACE απέδειξε τη συνεισφορά του προς την κατεύθυνση της ειρηνικής συνύπαρξης και της συμφιλίωσης των διαφορετικών κοινοτήτων στη Βόρεια Ιρλανδία. Με δεδομένη την υποστήριξή μας για τη συνέχιση του προγράμματος αυτού στην Ιρλανδία, επιτρέψτε μου να υπογραμμίσω τα εξής:

Το πρόγραμμα αποτελεί ένα λαμπρό παράδειγμα και καλή πρακτική που μπορεί και πρέπει να εφαρμοστεί και σε άλλες περιοχές της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, όπως στην Κύπρο. Η μεθοδολογία εφαρμογής του προγράμματος PEACE και κυρίως η διαχείρισή του από τις τοπικές εταιρικές σχέσεις και Μη Κυβερνητικές Οργανώσεις, η ανάπτυξη διακοινοτικών σχεδίων, η διευκόλυνση πρόσβασης στη χρηματοδότηση σχεδίων ή ομάδων που δεν είχαν δυνατότητα χρηματοδότησης από άλλες κοινοτικές ή εθνικές πηγές, αποτελεί μια πολύτιμη εμπειρία που ανοίγει το δρόμο για τη μεθοδολογία και την προσέγγιση η οποία θα πρέπει να ακολουθηθεί ευρύτερα στα προγράμματα των διαρθρωτικών ταμείων με προσέγγιση από τα κάτω προς τα επάνω και, ιδιαίτερα, στα προγράμματα που στοχεύουν στην τοπική ανάπτυξη καθώς και την καταπολέμηση της φτώχειας και του κοινωνικού αποκλεισμού.

  Jean Marie Beaupuy (ALDE). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, mes chers collègues, comme mes collègues, je tiens tout d'abord à souligner les excellents résultats obtenus grâce à PEACE I et PEACE II, et notamment pour les bénéficiaires eux-mêmes en Irlande, en Irlande du Nord, qui aujourd'hui ont retrouvé à la fois dignité et espoir. Sur ces bases là, je voudrais souligner deux points particuliers, Madame la Commissaire, pour lesquels je souhaite que vous puissiez obtenir un réel succès.

Premièrement, comme l'a demandé Mme de BRÚN dans son rapport, c'est que les gouvernements britannique et irlandais fassent véritablement chorus avec les décisions du Parlement, de la Commission et du Conseil européen pour que les mesures transitoires et les mesures complémentaires soient mises en œuvre grâce à ces deux gouvernements.

La deuxième chose, Madame la Commissaire, puisque vous êtes responsable de la task force, eh bien cela ne vous étonnera pas, je vous demanderai de veiller à l'approche intégrée pour qu'il y ait cohérence entre les différents acteurs, cohérence entre les différents programmes, les différents fonds, cohérence entre les différents territoires.

Enfin, the last but not the least, j'espère qu'effectivement, à l'échelle mondiale, l'exemple irlandais sera une belle leçon.

  Daniel Hannan (NI). – Mr President, why are we passing this resolution? Is it a specific remedy to an identified problem? Or are we rather passing it to make ourselves feel better, to feel that we have done our little bit for the peace process?

I ask that question with some regret. I am as big a supporter of the peace process in Northern Ireland as any Member of this Chamber and, indeed, possibly rather more than some. Being on one side Ulster Catholic, on the other, Scots Presbyterian, I have always felt that I have something of a personal stake in power sharing.

But the peace process is not guaranteed by external subventions. On the contrary, there is a danger that this flow of money turns what was an enterprising and thrifty part of the world in to a subsidy junkie, dependent on handouts from elsewhere.

Ask yourselves – I put this quite seriously – when you sign those cheques for those hundreds of millions of euros, whether you actually think you are buying stability and peace in that part of the world, or whether you are not just allowing yourselves to feel slightly better for a few minutes.

The idea that political violence is caused by deprivation is simply not borne out in reality. It is one of the many ideas that derive from Karl Marx and, like a lot of his ideas, it sounds plausible on the page, but it turns out not to be true in reality.

The most subsidised territory in the world, more than anywhere in Africa per capita, is Palestine, which is also one of the most violent.

The truth is that, if we want to support the peace process in Northern Ireland, we have to create a genuine democracy there, where there is a genuine opposition and the ability to change your government. If you do that, we will not need the money.

  Colm Burke (PPE-DE). – Mr President, I welcome this report from Bairbre de Brún, and I would like to congratulate all the people who made a contribution to the report, in particular the shadow rapporteur, Jim Nicholson, Marian Harkin and all the people involved.

The Peace III Programme is up and running, with EUR 333 million going into an area, helping the whole infrastructure and Community development in Northern Ireland and in the border counties. I think the three PEACE programmes have made a huge contribution in bringing about peace in this area. I would like to congratulate all the people involved in getting it together, but also all of the political parties in Northern Ireland and the community groups who have worked together to make sure that the peace programme continues to work.

I also welcome the task force that has been set up in Northern Ireland, but I think that a task force is also needed in the six border counties in the Republic to deal with infrastructure development in that area. It is unfortunate that the Irish Government has not done likewise in relation to those six counties. It is something that should be looked at because those counties also suffered over a period of 30 to 35 years. We need that kind of initiative in those six county areas. I would welcome the Irish Government putting that in place.

Again, thank you to all those involved.

  Rolf Berend (PPE-DE). – Herr Präsident! Es gibt wohl kaum jemanden hier im Parlament, der den Erfolg des Programms PEACE grundsätzlich anzweifelt, was seinen konkreten Beitrag zum wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Zusammenhalt angeht, aber auch was die Sanierung des Engagements vor Ort – der aktiven Bürgerschaft und der Beteiligung der Zivilgesellschaft an der Friedensbildung betrifft.

Der Initiativbericht hebt zu Recht die positiven Erfahrungen dieses einzigartigen und sehr innovativen Strukturprogramms hervor und zeigt gleichzeitig auf, was in Zukunft verbessert werden kann, welche Herausforderungen noch zu bewältigen sind und welche Schlussfolgerungen gezogen werden können.

Als EU-Regionalpolitiker liegt mir ganz besonders die Notwendigkeit der Entwicklung grenzübergreifender Arbeit sowie die Zusammenarbeit der lokalen Handelskammern, öffentlichen Einrichtungen und freiwilligen Organisationen auf beiden Seiten der Grenzen am Herzen. So befürworten meine Fraktion und ich diesen Bericht natürlich uneingeschränkt.

  Marian Harkin (ALDE). – Mr President, since nobody else is asking for the floor, I would just like to make a comment. I suppose I am not really surprised, but perhaps a little disappointed, to hear the comments by Mr Jim Allister here tonight. We are discussing the PEACE programme and not the conflict. Like all conflicts, this conflict’s roots go deep and it did not start in recent times, and like all conflicts it is much more complicated than indicated by Mr Allister. But regardless of those who question the efficacy of the PEACE programme and indicate their disapproval of EU funding, there is no doubt that the PEACE funds acted as a catalyst and, as I said earlier, through voluntary effort and voluntary time achieved value for money. Perhaps the best thing to say is that there is an end to the conflict and that the PEACE funding played a role in helping to achieve this very positive outcome.

  Jim Allister (NI). – Mr President, it is all very easy and very well for Miss Harkin to come to this House and to talk in the way she has talked.

How many constituents has she buried, murdered by terrorists? How many people have died in her constituency because the organisation that Miss de Brún represents decided they would die in pursuit of a political campaign?

The IRA murdered 2 000 of my constituents, so no one will lecture me in this House about the deep-seated feelings that I have, and no one will contradict me with justification for pointing out that the people that put so many of my constituents in their graves are the IRA, which Miss de Brún represents in this House.

To now see them in the government of my country is stomach-churning, and to find that they are there because they murdered and as a buy-off so that they will not murder again makes it even worse.

  Danuta Hübner, Member of the Commission. − Mr President, I would like to say that this debate has clearly confirmed the importance of the peace process in Northern Ireland and that important lessons have been learned during this process. The Commission will continue its contribution to consolidating the reconciliation process and will also facilitate the sharing of the lessons learned from the experience of peace-building with all other areas facing similar problems. In these efforts, the support of the European Parliament will certainly matter very much.

I would like to make two further comments:

To Jean Marie Beaupuy, the task force for Northern Ireland has been established to enhance and facilitate the participation of the people of Northern Ireland in all European Union policies and also to better coordinate and to build more coherence between different processes contributing to the consolidation of the peace and reconciliation process.

The second comment is that in these efforts the Commission would also like to help people in Northern Ireland to reduce the existing dependency on the public sector, on state aid and on the reliance of support coming in the form of grants. The conference which was mentioned by Bairbre de Brún was also exactly aiming at contributing to this process of bringing more private investment – a more vibrant private sector – to life in this part of the island. Once again, thank you very much for all your comments.

  Bairbre de Brún, Rapóirtéir. − A Uachtaráin, gabhaim buíochas leo siúd a labhair sa díospóireacht anocht. D’éist mé go cúramach leo agus leis na pointí a luaigh siad. Tá díoma orm fosta faoin mhéid a dúirt an tUasal Allister agus ní aontaím lena líomhaintí. Ba mhaith liom obair Pharlaimint na hEorpa agus an Choimisiúin thar na blianta ó thaobh na gclár PEACE a mholadh.

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil go háirithe leis an Choimisinéir Hübner as an tiomantas pearsanta a thaispeáin sí ón chéad lá di sa phost agus lena cuairteanna rialta ar Thuaisceart Éireann. Is iad Coimisinéir Hübner agus na Coimisinéirí a chuaigh roimpi cairde buana phróiseas síochána na hÉireann agus leoga is maith an rud ról leanúnach an Choimisiúin a fheiceáil tríd an tascfhórsa a bhunaigh an tUachtarán Barroso.

Thug PEACE ar phobal teorann a bhí scartha ó am na críochdheighilte teacht ar an phobal coiteann arís. Tharraing sé an t-aos óg náisiúnach agus aontachtach le chéile chun foghlaim faoi chultúr a chéile. Aithnímid go háirithe ról tábhachtach na mban i dtógáil síochána agus an obair thábhachtach, luachmhar trasphobail agus trasteorann. Aithnímid gur féidir ceachtanna a fhoghlaim agus a úsáid i dtíortha eile.

Tugann mo Thuarascáil chun suntais gurb iad na daoine is imeallaí sa todhchaí a bhain an tairbhe is mó as PEACE, go díreach mar ba chóir dó a bheith. Ach, ag an am céanna, má tá grúpaí ann nár thapaigh an deis chun iarratas a chur isteach faoi PEACE I nó PEACE II, ba chóir iad a spreagadh chun páirt a ghlacadh ann anois. Is í an chéad chéim eile nach mór a chinntiú nach gcríochnaíonn obair mhaith PEACE agus gur féidir le glúine amach anseo leanúint leo chun tairbhe a bhaint as an obair luachmhar a thosaigh trí na cláir PEACE agus trí thacaíocht iontach ó institiúidí na hEorpa.

  Przewodniczący. − Zamykam debatę.

Głosowanie odbędzie się we wtorek 20 maja 2008 r.

Oświadczenia pisemne (art. 142)

  Ramona Nicole Mănescu (ALDE ), în scris. – Programul PEACE reprezintă nu doar un mijloc de menţinere a păcii, ci şi un instrument care favorizează dezvoltarea economică şi coeziunea teritorială. Implementarea sa de către guvernele şi organizaţiile non-guvernamentale regionale conduce la implicarea unei game largi de comunităţi, organizaţii locale şi grupuri marginalizate, în procesul de guvernare şi dezvoltare. Mai mult, finanţarea prin PEACE a unor proiecte la nivel regional contribuie la facilitarea dialogului, reconcilierii şi acordurilor care au drept obiectiv satisfacerea interesului comun şi prin urmare, evitarea oricărui tip de conflict.

Irlanda de Nord este un exemplu de bună practică pentru toate celelalte state membre care au experimentat conflicte sau care se confruntă în prezent cu probleme ce le ameninţă pacea.

Iată de ce susţin crearea unei reţele a regiunilor şi oraşelor europene cu un potenţial risc de conflict şi consider că promovarea parteneriatelor la nivel local, împărtăşirea celor mai bune practici ca şi cooperarea eficientă dintre regiunile şi Organismele de finanţare intermediare sunt factori esenţiali în determinarea comunităţilor locale de a coopera şi conlucra în vederea menţinerii păcii.

De asemenea, pledez pentru implementarea unor programe asemănătoare PEACE şi în sud-estul Europei, cu precădere în Balcani, cu atât mai mult cu cât evenimentele din ultimii ani trag un semnal de alarmă.