Fears mount over EU withdrawal from Northern Ireland

BELFAST: The EU has long aided efforts to heal the deep divisions that plague Northern Ireland, and many people on both sides of the sectarian rift fear what might happen when Brexit forces it to walk away.

Since a 1998 peace deal ended three decades of violence between Protestant pro-British unionists and Catholic Irish nationalists, in which 3 600 died, the EU has pumped about €1.5 billion (R23.6bn) into projects to shore up that peace – more than any other body apart from the British state.

It has enjoyed broad support and influence as a force viewed by both sides as a neutral broker separate from the British government, which is distrusted by many nationalists, and the Irish government, distrusted by many unionists.

It has been able to take on projects others shy away from, such as the reintegration of former militants, both IRA and pro-union loyalists, and support for relatives of dead fighters.

Brexit is already rattling the region by raising concerns it will lead to a hard border with EU member Ireland. For some in both communities, the idea of a new, rigid frontier stirs painful memories of the British Army watchtowers and checkpoints that peppered the border during the decades of bloodshed.

“It’s a very fragile situation here, and in Westminster there seems to be a lack of consideration for Northern Ireland,” said Kate Clifford, director of the Rural Community Network, a community group that has received peace funding in the past. “Without a (EU) peace programme behind that, without the impetus of the external force that is Europe, that honest broker, things will become very difficult,” Clifford said.

While no one expects a return to the widespread violence of Northern Ireland’s “Troubles” of the 1960s to 1990s, sectarian tensions still run high. Some British ministers argue that savings from leaving the bloc would allow the government to match all EU funding and last month British Prime Minister Theresa May said her government would consider replacing that European money.

Yet London has offered no guarantees. With Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels in their infancy, there is little certainty about how leaving the bloc will affect Britain’s finances.

Since the EU’s Northern Ireland PEACE programme was founded in 1995, funded groups have worked with thousands of Northern Ireland’s 1.8 million citizens on conflict resolution, anti-sectarianism and supporting victims. Reuters BETHLEHEM: The World Bank has released a report highlighting a “new vision” for the Palestinian economy based on the expansion of the private sector that could increase growth in the occupied Palestinian territory by 7% each year.

The report acknowledged the importance of a political settlement for the decades-long conflict in the territory, but “measures over the medium term can create new economic activity, attract private investment, generate jobs and significantly improve living standards”.

The World Bank said investing in the private sector in the Palestinian territory could drive an annual growth rate of 6% in the West Bank – which could create 50 000 jobs – and 8% in the besieged Gaza Strip, producing 60 000 new jobs.

The World Bank’s report used a 10-year economic model to determine the impact investment in the private sector would have on the Palestinian economy.

Some of the reforms proposed by the World Bank that would benefit the growth of the Palestinian economy included facilitating trade and transactions for Palestinian firms at Israeli-controlled crossings, reviewing policies relating to dualuse items (material that could be used for civilian and military uses) to lessen the process of obtaining special licensing for certain items, remove Israeli restrictions on Palestinian development in Area C – the more than 60% of the West Bank under full Israeli control, and lifting the decade-long Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The World Bank said implementing these reforms would increase the size of the Palestinian territory’s economy by 36% in the West Bank and 40% in Gaza by 2025.

The report also suggested several reforms to internal Palestinian policies, including reforming regulations and licensing to lower the cost of business initiatives, the development of vocational trainings, facilitating land registration, strengthening governance, and implementing fiscal reforms.

The World Bank noted that if these internal reforms were implemented, the West Bank could see a growth of 24% and the Gaza Strip 30% in the Gaza Strip by 2025.

Increased investment and more jobs would lead to improved living standards, said the bank. Without a real change in policies, the report predicts an annual growth of just 2-3% on average, less than the pace of the population growth. Ma’an