Continued support for peace process pledged

Additional funding for the EU Northern Ireland Special Peace and Reconciliation Programme appears to be the likely form that continued support for the peace process from our European partners will take, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, told journalists at the summit yesterday.

The summit issued a declaration pledging continued support for the process.

At a press briefing at the end of the meeting, Mr Ahern said that although the question of eligibility for Objective One status for structural funds was being considered, the flexibility of the peace programme had certain advantages.

"I think that if you do it that way you get it most directly into the community and into the areas where you need it most, and I think that's the way it's going to go," he said.

The meeting agreed, however, to ask the Commission to come up with proposals and Mr Ahern said that they hoped to negotiate the new funding in the context of the Agenda 2000 discussions.

At the meeting the Taoiseach thanked the EU for its contribution to the peace process and impressed on it the need, as the final declaration said, "to find new, creative ways to support the fresh opportunities which the peace agreement will bring."

On Agenda 2000 he welcomed the agreement of the summit to acknowledge in the declaration specific Irish concerns about the CAP package.

"We were concerned that no early decisions would be made which would prejudice our position on individual aspects of either structural funds or CAP and that there would be recognition that the whole area has to be taken as a single package."

That had been the outcome, he said, arguing that significant progress could now be made under the Austrian presidency.

He said he was pleased by the outcome of the meeting on institutional reform - the conclusions of the meeting reflected the Irish view that the first priority was the ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty and only then would issues arising from its weaknesses be dealt with.

Mr Ahern said that the priority was to make the Commission's forthcoming paper, "Tomorrow's Commission", work. There were things they could do simply to enhance efficiency, he said, citing suggestions that all the member states should hold their cabinet meetings on the same day - "ordinary, sensible, management stuff", he said.

He said there was also a case for reviewing the sheer volume of legislation before all parliaments. The Commission had said there were some 650 pieces of legislation before the various EU parliaments while the Commission itself had withdrawn some 160 pieces from its own agenda.

He also supported proposals to reform the General Affairs Council, which, he said, had become bogged down with external relations issues. The result was that far too much detailed material now ended up with heads of government at European Councils, the Taoiseach argued.

Mr Ahern said that the Irish report on its employment strategy was "well regarded" and that the Vienna December summit would take up the issue in far greater detail and consider the new employment guidelines for next year.