13 September 2000

FINANCE MINISTER WELCOMES VISITORS FROM POLAND

Mr Mark Durkan, MLA - the Finance and Personnel Minister today welcomed a delegation from Warminsko-Mazurskie, led by Mr Wladyslaw Mankut, the Deputy Marshall of the region.

The group are visiting Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland and arrived in Belfast today where they will stay until Friday, studying the benefits to Northern Ireland from European Structural Funds.

The visit is the second this year by Polish officials and is part of a pre-accession programme being undertaken by Poland in the run up to membership of the European Union.

The group was briefed by representatives of the various Government Departments on the strategies for the development of all aspects of social and economic life in Northern Ireland and the positive contribution of European Structural Funds - past and future - to this process.

The delegation were particularly pleased that the Minister had arranged for them to meet members of the Interim Community Support Framework Monitoring Committee during their visit.

In welcoming the visitors, the Minister said:

"It is a great privilege to be able to welcome Mr Mankut and his delegation to Northern Ireland and share with them our very positive experience of the benefits that European Structural Funds can bring to a region such as ours. Their visit is very timely since we are actively negotiating with the European Commission on the next round of funding to be made available under the Peace II and Transitional Objective 1 Programmes. We are able to share our direct experience of the process leading to the development of the Northern Ireland Plan and Programmes and our arrangements for managing them."

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. Under its Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession countries, the EU supports capacity building programmes to assist the administrations and institutions of candidate countries to develop the structures, systems and know-how required to access EU Structural Funds upon becoming Members of the Union. All applicant countries are involved in implementing such preparatory programmes, aimed at developing skills and experience among central and regional government to enable them to use the Funds effectively upon membership.
2. One such project is underway in the Warminsko-Mazurskie region for those likely to be involved in the preparation, delivery and monitoring of Structural Fund programmes in future. In June a delegation visited Northern Ireland and the Border Counties and were briefed by officials engaged in European matters. Four inaugural officials have each followed a one month programme in Northern Ireland Government Departments (one in June and three at present) observing how European funds were used and managed.