On Wednesday 30 January, Member States' ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) supported the European Commission's proposal to extend the PEACE reconciliation programme on the island of Ireland until 2020, even in the event of a no-deal Brexit (see other news).
This proposal, tabled in December (see EUROPE 12163), was not discussed at the political level on Wednesday, a sign that it is not controversial. In particular, it helps to support the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
Also covered is the INTERREG VA programme, which promotes socio-economic and territorial cohesion between the border counties of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Western Scotland.
Regardless of the conditions of the UK withdrawal, both programmes would continue to be financed from the EU budget on the basis of the current management structures and funding levels would remain unchanged, according to a Council statement.
Interinstitutional negotiations on the legislative proposal will start shortly, as it has already been agreed in the relevant parliamentary committee of the European Parliament. Objective: to enable the Parliament to adopt its position at first reading at the first plenary session in March and the Council of the EU to formally endorse the text so that it can enter into force by 29 March 2019. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)