Mr. P.J. O'Hanlon:

I thank the Chair and members for inviting me to make a presentation on the work of EBR. The Ireland-Northern Ireland Border area is the focal point of Brexit negotiations. Much mention has been made of the peace process and the need to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts. This is in no small part due to the proactive approach taken by local authorities along the Border in the wake of the June 2016 referendum on Brexit. EBR is a genuine cross-Border organisation. It includes three local authorities in the Republic of Ireland and three in Northern Ireland and comprises elected members from all political parties, North and South, chief executives and senior officials from the six member councils. The post of chairman rotates annually across the Border. EBR was the first cross-Border group to elect a chair from the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP. Apart from the institutions set up under the Good Friday Agreement, there are very few other genuine cross-Border organisations on the island of Ireland. Examples include the North West Region, ICBAN, the Centre for Cross Border Studies and Co-Operation and Working Together, CAWT, which operates between the health boards.

Cross-Border co-operation on the island of Ireland is relatively young. The impetus came in the 1970s from local elected representatives, North and South, who recognised the value of cross-Border co-operation. The North West Region in 1995 and EBR in 1996 were the first cross-Border organisations on the island. It is important to note also that cross-Border co-operation was not then fashionable. The policy of both Governments was "back-to-back" development.

One of the founding members of EBR, Councillor Jim McCart, who lived in Warrenpoint, County Down, stated:

Back in the early 1970’s there was literally no cooperation at any level, political or otherwise, between Local Authorities adjacent to the border. I didn’t know any of the councillors in Omeath despite the fact that I could look out my front door and see Omeath. It simply wasn’t the done thing.

Councillors and officials who were members of EBR worked under the shadow of the wider political situation. The political climate made it difficult to attend meetings across the Border but local representatives persevered because they quickly realised that back-to-back development was not working. They also realised that there were areas of common concern across the Border, that there was a strength in working together and that the Border region, North and South, was disadvantaged. Working on a cross-Border basis was extremely difficult throughout the 1970s and 1980s. There was no funding from the authorities in Dublin or Belfast because cross-Border co-operation was not fashionable.

EBR, however, has always worked against the backdrop of the European Union. Indeed, it was the European Union in the early 1990s which first provided financial assistance for cross-Border development in the form of the INTERREG programme and the subsequent PEACE programme. While there are more than 70 INTERREG programmes across Europe, the PEACE programme is unique to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and demonstrates the commitment of other EU member states to peace in Northern Ireland. Substantial EU INTERREG and PEACE funding from the 1990s enabled the transformation of the Ireland-Northern Ireland Border region economically and socially. It also ensured that local authorities were at the forefront of cross-Border economic development. EU funding enabled EBR to be more outward looking, to share and learn from counterparts in other areas across Europe and to realise that the Ireland-Northern Ireland Border area suffers similar problems to other border regions in Europe.

While the Good Friday Agreement was a catalyst for further cross-Border co-operation, it is important to note that such co-operation has never been easy and must not be taken lightly. Over the past 40 years, the members of EBR have believed that cross-Border co-operation makes sense. It still makes sense in the face of Brexit. Capacity and trust have developed between elected members and officials and EBR has built up an excellent track record in the management of EU funding. EBR has always adopted a bottom up and needs-based approach to cross-Border co-operation, where the views of local authorities and key stakeholders in the region are paramount. This strategy has been extremely successful as Alderman Hatch will now outline. I thank the committee for its time.