14:37

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, has pledged that the EU will continue to fund cross-border peace projects on the island of Ireland even after Brexit.

Juncker said he could see “no more importance use” in EU funding than supporting initiatives which promoted peace and reconciliation between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

There had been fears that border counties particularly in Northern Ireland would no longer receive EU largesse after Brexit.

The EC president told the European parliament that he wanted continued backing for the peace process in Ireland. Since the early 1990s the EU have invested hundreds of millions of euros into community and infrastructure projects especially targeted at divided communities along the border and in areas of sectarian division in places like north and west Belfast.

Stressing “unconditional European commitment” to the EU’s Peace and Reconciliation Fund, Juncker’s announcement means financial support for these projects could continue up to 2025.