Today, 30 May 2014, Mr. Brendan Howlin, TD, attended the seventeenth North South Ministerial Council Special EU Programmes meeting which was held at the NSMC Joint Secretariat Offices in Armagh.

 Also in attendance were Simon Hamilton MLA, Minister for Finance and Personnel and OFMDFM Junior Minister Jennifer McCann MLA. Minister Hamilton chaired the meeting.

North South cooperation continues to accelerate in a practical direction, supporting economic growth. To that end, last year, there were no less than 25 meetings of the North South Ministerial Council, meetings which included discussions on areas of co-operation such as health, education, agriculture, the Irish language, business and trade development, tourism, the environment and transport.

At today’s meeting, it was noted that the two new Cross Border Programmes – PEACE and INTERREG – will benefit from in excess of €600m million euro of EU Structural Funding. The new Programmes are at an advanced stage of development, with the consultation process due to begin on Tuesday.

Also discussed was the Special EU Programmes Progress Report, further details of which can be found here.

Speaking after the meeting, Minister Howlin remarked, “I am always pleased to take part in the work of the North South Ministerial Council, particularly the sectoral meetings which oversee the work of the Special EU Programmes Body in accessing EU funding. I and my colleagues in the NSMC share the goal of moving North South cooperation forward in a practical direction in support of recovery. I look forward to continuing along this journey together.”

ENDS