The Presidents of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the European Council, Charles Michel, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as representatives of the political groups in the European Parliament celebrated the 25th anniversary of the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ on Wednesday 29 March.
This agreement, which was signed on 10 April 1998, relates to the political solution put in place to end three decades of bloody conflict in Northern Ireland.
In a ceremony at the opening of the plenary session, they noted that this agreement has brought “peace and reconciliation” to Northern Ireland. “This agreement did not just end 30 years of troubles, but opened up a new era of cooperation”, Ms von der Leyen said, adding that the agreement was a “promise of a better future for all the people of Northern Ireland”.
Politicians have called for the agreement to be maintained. “Peacemakers in Northern Ireland know that a commitment to political and civil rights is required”, emphasised Ms Metsola. “We need a renewed power-sharing in Northern Ireland so that after 25 years of peace, we can build 25 years of prosperity”, stressed Pedro Silva Pereira (S&D, Portuguese).
The Presidents and MEPs also highlighted the importance of the ‘Windsor framework’. In their opinion, this framework should maintain the integrity of the internal market and the absence of a physical border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
EU support for the ‘Good Friday Agreement’, notably including funds, was also highlighted. “The EU has been instrumental to the agreement and to its survival throughout these years”, Mr Michel said. “The EU will continue to work to achieve reconciliation for the next 25 years and beyond. The UK has left the EU, but peace remains and remains the European promise”, promised Ms von der Leyen. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)