Print this pageThe SEUPB was also responsible for the delivery of the previous PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes from 2007-2013. Both Programmes are now completed but made a tangible impact in terms of peace and reconciliation as well as building a more prosperous and sustainable region.
PEACE III Programme (2007-2013)
The PEACE III Programme successfully delivered 213 projects (including Technical Assistance) with cumulative expenditure of €329.8m across Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland. Projects were funded under the following themes; Building Positive Relations at the Local Level; Acknowledging and Dealing with the Past; Creating Shared Public Spaces; and Key Institutional Capacities.
The €333m PEACE III Programme carried forward many of the key aspects of the PEACE I (1995-1999) and PEACE II (2000-2006) Programmes, but with a renewed emphasis on reconciliation.
To find out more about PEACE III download a copy of its Operational Programme document here. A Closure Report for the PEACE III Programme (and associated Annex paper) was approved by the European Commission in September 2017, and is available to view here.
The eligible area for PEACE III included Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland (comprising of Counties Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal).
PEACE III – A new approach
A new strategic approach to achieve maximum impact from the funding available from the PEACE III Programme was developed. Local Councils in Northern Ireland formed themselves into eight clusters and played a more strategic part in the delivery of the Programme. The six County Councils in the Border Region of Ireland had the same role. Working in partnership with communities, they developed local ‘Peace and Reconciliation Action Plans’. This approach will continue into the new programming period (for 2014-2020) with local authorities in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland.
INTERREG IVA Programme (2007-2013)
The INTERREG IVA Programme successfully delivered 88 projects (including Technical Assistance) with cumulative expenditure of €256m across Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland. Projects were funded under the following themes; Enterprise; Tourism; Collaboration; and Infrastructure.
The €256m INTERREG IVA Programme was designed to help address the economic and social problems which result from the existence of borders. It supported strategic cross-border co-operation to help create a more prosperous and sustainable region. INTERREG IVA continued on with previous Programmes focus on Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland however, for the 2007-2013 programming period, also included Western Scotland.
To find out more about INTERREG IVA download a copy of its Operational Programme document here. A Closure Report for the INTERREG IVA Programme (and associated Annex paper) is available here.
Retention of Documents from PEACE III & INTERREG IVA
The conditions of the grant required funded organisations to keep supporting documents available for a period of 5 years following the closure of the Programme.
At the time of formalising the text of the Conditions of Grant, it was anticipated that the Programme would close in 2015. Therefore, projects were advised to plan to keep documents until 31st December 2020 at the earliest.
In the event, the INTERREG IV and PEACE III Programmes officially closed in 2017. This means that projects funded by INTERREG IV and PEACE III should keep all original supporting documents in respect of their projects available until the end of 2022 (December 2022).
Please note:
- State aid rules may require a longer document retention period, beyond December 2022. It is the responsibility of funding recipients to clarify and adhere to any state aid rules.
- Projects should continue to retain documents if they are subject to legal proceedings or have been notified to do so by the European Commission.
- Any longer archiving periods as required by national law remain unaffected.
In the absence of any longer archiving obligations applying to your institution, funding recipients may from 31/12/2022 on, remove from your archives any documents related to the PEACE III and Interreg IV project.
The SEUPB recommends that Lead Partners share this information also with your project partners
