AFTER much acrimony, the European Parliament seems set to approve a complex financial manoeuvre to ensure the £240 million EU fund for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland is fully financed.
The parliament's political groupings have agreed a proposal that would provide £78 million of the fund from unspent money originally destined for other projects. This proposal will be approved in a parliament vote tomorrow and will then go to the European Council of Ministers for consideration.
But while the issue appears resolved, the bitterness between MEPs who have taken different positions remains. Each side accuses the other of grossly misrepresenting the effect of a decision by the budget committee two weeks ago to propose a £78 million cut in the fund.
The leader of the Socialist Group, British Labour MEP Ms Pauline Green, yesterday accused Fianna Fail's Mr Pat The Cope Gallagher of indulging in "gutter politics". Mr Gallagher accused Mrs Green of "mud-slinging" and "political immaturity".
It was the socialist group which proposed the cut two weeks ago at the budget committee. The socialists, including Mr John Hume and Ms Bernie Malone, maintain this was part of complicated manoeuvres over the EU budget. The fund, they say, would never have been cut in practice.
But Fianna Fail MEPs, led by Mr Gallagher, say the socialist move could have cut funding for projects in Northern Ireland and the Border counties. Yesterday in the European parliament, Mr Gallagher said: "Thanks to our efforts some progress has been made and the present compromise proposal represents a step forward."
The Minister of State for Finance, Mr Hugh Coveney, who is representing the Irish EU Presidency on the issue, yesterday agreed the danger to the fund had been exaggerated. "But I don't take the danger lightly," he said.
Whatever the truth, the parliament is expected to approve the compromise proposal tomorrow. This means unspent EU money will be allocated to the peace and reconciliation fund, trans-European networks and research and development projects. All three are pet schemes of the European Parliament.
Mr Gallagher suggested yesterday that the row emerged from "ongoing tension between the institutions of the European Union on budgetary matters and clearly parliament is seeking to flex its muscles in this regard. However, the Irish peace process must never be used as a political football in these turf wars".
Fine Gael MEP Mr Joe McCartin regretted "mischievous and misleading arguments" and suggested that some MEPs "were conspiring to deprive Northern Ireland of the £240 million for the peace process".
Progressive Democrat MEP Mr Pat Cox said they had initially agreed to allocate £160 million to the fund. The Council of Ministers had raised this to £240 million but had refused to provide the necessary finance. "The budget gap is the responsibility of the Council," he said.