Regulation (EU) 2019/491 in order to allow for the continuation of the territorial cooperation programmes PEACE IV (Ireland-United Kingdom) and United Kingdom-Ireland (Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland) in the context of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union

What it is

to continue the territorial cooperation programmes PEACE IV in Northern Ireland until the end of 2020, in the absence of an agreement for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: on 13 December 2018, the European Council (Article 50) renewed its call to intensify work on preparing, at all levels, for the consequences of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the Union, taking into account all possible outcomes. The Committee on Regional Development adopted the report by Iskra MIHAYLOVA (ALDE, BG) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council in order to allow for the continuation of the territorial cooperation programmes PEACE IV (Ireland-United Kingdom) and United Kingdom-Ireland (Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland) in the context of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament adopt its position at first reading, taking over the Commission proposal. The United Kingdom is due to withdraw from the European Union from 30 March 2019 in accordance with the procedure set out by Article 50 TEU. A withdrawal treaty has been negotiated that would deal with many practical and legal problems during the transitional period. In the event of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom without an agreement, one key step the EU can take is to provide for a derogation allowing the continuation of the PEACE IV and United Kingdom-Ireland cooperation programmes, which play an important part in building positive cross-border and cross-community relations. The Commission's proposal under consideration aims to allow these two programmes to continue at least until the end of the current programming period (2014-2020). The European Parliament adopted by 624 votes to 13, with 24 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council in order to allow for the continuation of the territorial cooperation programmes PEACE IV (Ireland-United Kingdom) and United Kingdom-Ireland (Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland) in the context of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure, taking over the Commission proposal. The proposal aims to allow the continuation of the European cross-border cohesion programmes between Ireland and Northern Ireland (PEACE IV and United Kingdom - Ireland), at least until the end of the current programming period (2014-2020) in the event that the United Kingdom has to leave the Union without agreement. The EU wishes to continue these two cooperation programmes financed by the general budget of the Union which concern Northern Ireland and which support peace and reconciliation and North-South cooperation within the framework of the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement ('Good Friday Agreement'), even if the…

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