A chara, I would like to take the opportunity, through your columns, to clarify the issues raised by the recent vote of the European Parliament's Budget Committee to cut this year's allocation of EU funding to the peace process by £78 million. There has been some confusion over the implications of this vote, and a deliberate clouding of the key issues on the part of those who have successfully supported the cut in peace funds.
The fund for peace and reconciliation was put in place in 1995 with a commitment to allocate "£240 million in EU funding between 1995 and 1997. The purpose of this funding is to underpin the peace process and support the process of reconciliation after decades of strife. This package was to represent Europe's practical commitment to, and faith in, the peace process.
At that time, the European Parliament voted unanimously to support the new peace package. While initial uptake of the funding was slow, due to new administrative arrangements, the European Commission confirms "that the fund is now gaining pace accelerating. There is no shortage of applicants for funding.
This year, both the European Commission and the Council of Ministers agreed on an allocation of £125 million to the peace and reconciliation fund under the EU draft general budget for 1997. It subsequently came to the attention of the Fianna Fail group in the European Parliament that the Socialist Group the Parliament's largest political bloc had tabled an amendment to the Parliament's powerful Budget Committee to have the funding allocation cut from £125 million to £47 million a reduction of £78 million. Despite remonstrating with the Socialist Group, the Budget Committee voted to cut peace funding by five votes to 18, with nine abstentions.
In defence of their action, the Socialist Group has stated that take up of the funding was slow and that resources could therefore be allocated elsewhere. The European Commission does not agree with this contention. The Commissioner responsible, Monika Wulf Mathies, has confirmed that there are enough projects to absorb fully the funding for 1996 and 1997.
The Commissioner also correctly criticised those who supported the funding cut as lacking in solidarity with the victims of violence. Significantly, the Commissioner also stated. "Reducing the funding would jeopardise projects that contribute to peace and reconciliation.
The Socialist Group has also sought to dismiss the Budget cut as budgetary manoeuvring. This is a particularly cynical approach. To suggest that it is acceptable that the fund for peace and reconciliation be used as a budgetary football by the European Parliament is utterly unacceptable. It is a shoddy approach to a profoundly serious matter.
The Budget Committee's cut must also be placed in a broader financial context. At this year's Florence Summit, it was confirmed that the financial perspectives of the European Union would be not be revised. This decision was confirmed at the subsequent Dublin summit. It is now clear that the financial perspectives will not be revised in the foreseeable future.
As such, the cut in the peace and reconciliation budget was made in the full knowledge that the EU does not currently have the financial flexibility to ensure that extra funding can be made available to compensate for the Budget Committee's cut. Bearing "this information in mind, the decision to introduce this cut was both reckless and irresponsible. The fact that individual MEPs are happy to defend this tactic indicates great insensitivity to the challenges of the peace process.
At a political level, the decision to make the £78 million cut is an appalling one. At a time when the peace process is facing its darkest hour, this decision sends the worst possible signal. It indicates that Europe is divided in its practical commitment to the peace process and that the political will to provide adequate funding for peace is weak.
On October 24th, the full plenary session of the European Parliament will vote on the £78 million cut in the peace fund. The Commissioner for Regional Affairs, the Council of Ministers, the Irish Government and CBI-IBEC have all voiced their opposition to the cut. The Socialist Group needs 314 votes to copper fasten this cut in the Parliament. If it succeeds, at the very least it will throw the future of the peace and reconciliation fund into great uncertainty.
With my colleagues in the Fianna Fail / Union for Europe group, I will be lobbying for maximum support from like minded colleagues in the Parliament. We will also be urging the Council of Ministers to re-examine the financial perspectives. In the meantime, to have called on the Tanaiste, Dick Spring, to intervene. He is best placed to remonstrate with his socialist counterparts in the Parliament and persuade them to reverse this most ill considered and damaging decision. Yours, etc., TD, MEP, Dungloe, Co Donegal.