Press Release: EU Regional Policy: Building Trust in Divided Communities

Following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union, the European Commission is inviting divided communities in the EU and beyond to consider whether and how they might draw on the experience of the EU's PEACE Programme in Northern Ireland and Ireland's Border Region.

The Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, will host a conference: "Bringing Divided Communities Together - Sharing the Experience of the EU PEACE Programme" on Thursday, January 31 at 9:00 am in the Charlemagne building.

He will be joined by First Minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson, Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, and Irish Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin. The conference will be attended by representatives of EU Member states, candidates, neighbourhood countries and others.

Participants in three peace-building projects from Northern Ireland will also be at the gathering to share their experiences. Their presentations will be followed by a discussion on how far the Peace Programme's approach could be transposed to other parts of the world.

European Commission: SPEECH/13/83: Building trust in divided communities - sharing the experience of the EU PEACE Programme http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-83_en.htm

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