Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I cannot commit the Commission to a particular timeframe. To be fair, the Commission has been really supportive throughout this whole process. It will already have seen much, if not all, of the formal application previously. It has been directly involved in helping to guide the completion of the application process. Therefore, it will not come as a surprise to it. Certainly, the timeline that we are working to is that it will be submitted, approved and launched in the first half of the year. We are working to a timeline within the next four or five months.

I acknowledge the really strong support at a political level across the European Union and also at the level of the Commission where President Von der Leyen has taken a direct personal interest in PEACEPLUS. This is a real success story for the European Union and the European Commission. They want to see it progressed over the period ahead.

In a post-Brexit environment, this is a programme where the funding is made up of a very significant contribution from the UK Government, the European Union, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government. It is a unique instrument, particularly in a post-Brexit environment. The European Commission sees this as an opportunity to further the cause of peace and reconciliation. With the amount of funding that is available, this is a fantastic opportunity for the North and the Border counties. We are determined to make this programme as impactful as possible over the period ahead. We expect a formal launch in the next four to five months.