Extra funding ‘needed to fill gap left by EU’

SIGNIFICANT cross-border funding will be needed to be mitigate against the negative effects of a no-deal Brexit, an Oireachtas committee has heard in Dublin.

Representatives from cross-border organisations appeared before the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement yesterday to discuss the challenges facing border authorities.

Central Border Area Network chief executive Shane Campbell said the need to foster cross-border collaboration was more acute than ever, given the challenges posed by Brexit.

Mr Campbell also said the imHe portance of investments on both sides of the border could not be underestimated and the continuation or replacement of cooperation funds must be a key priority post-withdrawal.

He recommended that consideration be given to developing a cross-border investment fund to replace any possible loss of the EU’s Interreg and peace money.

But he added: “However, there is little evidence of such a debate or consideration yet on either side of the border, which is very concerning.”

Senator Gerard Craughwell expressed fears that Brexit, whether it ended up being a crash-out or a negotiated exit, would “change the relationships that exist in the border region for ever”.

said the mismatch of funding bothered him, stressing that the Irish Government would continue to push for money for projects along the border while also admitting there was a possibility the UK would not provide an equal sum.

“You finish up with a poorer relation the other side of the border. You could, for example, end up with a decent motorway in Donegal that stops at the border,” he said.

“I remember years ago travelling through Northern Ireland you knew you were in Northern Ireland because you hit the best roads in the country.

“Now you know you’re in Northern Ireland because you hit the worst roads in the country.”