‘€18BILLION BETTER OFF IN A UNITED IRELAND..’
Report adds up north’s Brexit options
A REPORT has suggested the “only winning scenario” for the North following Brexit is a united Ireland. The document forecasts both sides of the border will suffer economically after the UK leaves the European Union. It examined three potential scenarios including a hard Brexit – in which all of the UK leaves the single market and the customs union – which would reduce GDP in the North by €10.1billion from 2021 to 2025. The other two options are the North remaining within the single market and customs union and, lastly, the unification of Ireland.
The report says: “The only winning scenario is the case of unification where between 2018 and 2025, Northern Ireland would increase its GDP by €17.9billion.”
The study was produced by Canadian firm KLC Consultants for Us-based Irish American organisation KRB Inc.
Presenting The Costs Of Non-unification – Brexit And The Unification Of Ireland report at the Europa Hotel in Belfast yesterday, one of the authors, Dr Kurt Hubner, said: “Since the referendum the whole picture has changed enormously, the macro economic situation has changed enormously. We already have huge opportunity costs and now with the way we tried to develop those scenarios, it is surprising the unification one is the only one that would produce positive effects.”
Ulster Unionist politician Steve Aiken added: “I can only presume when they continue to put data into the model, they will suddenly realise something we have known all along – unification is not an answer and would be a net detriment to Northern Ireland.”