Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he expects there to be a new PEACEPLUS programme post-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27876/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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PEACEPLUS is a €1.1bn cross-border co-operation programme for Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland and is part of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy programmes. The PEACEPLUS programme is the current iteration of the EU’s North South PEACE and INTERREG programmes which have been running since the 1990s. As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I have joint responsibility for PEACEPLUS along with the Minister for Finance Northern Ireland.

PEACEPLUS was approved by Government, by the NI Executive and by the North South Ministerial Council in late 2021 and approved and adopted by the European Commission in July 2022. PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the Irish Government, the European Commission, the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. Following the completion of a Financing Agreement between Ireland, the EU and the UK, PEACEPLUS opened for funding applications in June 2023.

The 2021-2027 PEACEPLUS programme is successfully in its implementation phase, funding projects across a diverse range of investment areas, including health, education, transport, and socio-economic regeneration.

On 6 March 2025, the Taoiseach and the UK Prime Minister issued a Joint Statement outlining their shared commitment to the successful delivery of the 2021-2027 PEACEPLUS programme and their agreement in principle to a successor programme.

My officials continue to engage in discussions with the European Commission on a successor PEACEPLUS programme as we await publication of the draft Multi-annual Financial Framework and proposed Cohesion Policy legislative reforms for the post-2027 period.