Mr. Arnold Hatch:

Good afternoon. It is nice to see what I will not term old faces but faces I have known for some time. EBR is financially managing eight large strategic INTERREG VA projects to the value of €91 million. An application for a further €9.2 million is being assessed by the Special European Union Programmes Body, SEUPB. All of these projects are highly innovative and EBR is delighted to play a pivotal role in them. I have circulated a copy of our most recent annual report, which will provide members with some detail on each of these INTERREG VA projects. I hope members will find that interesting reading.

EBR has been involved in all of the INTERREG programmes to date, drawing down millions of euro for a host of projects which have benefited communities along the entire Border corridor. This money has contributed significantly to the modernisation of the Ireland-Northern Ireland Border corridor. I will outline a few examples to give members a flavour of the type of projects EBR is currently implementing. We are involved in two greenway projects. One is from Newry to Carlingford, and links in to the existing greenway from Carlingford to Omeath, and the other runs from Smithborough in County Monaghan to Middletown in County Armagh.

These are two genuinely cross-Border greenways and they will have a significantly positive impact on the Border region.

The current application, for €9.2 million, is to install a necklace of 73 rapid electric vehicle chargers along the Ireland-Northern Border and to include the western coast of Scotland. This is a highly strategic project involving organisations such as the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Ulster University, Dundalk Institute of Technology and the local authorities along the Border corridor. It seeks to raise public awareness and increase the use of electric vehicles.

As well as working with our local authorities, EBR has entered into strategic partnerships with a wide range of key stakeholders that are implementing INTERREG VA projects. This includes organisations such as Irish Water, Northern Ireland Water, InterTradeIreland, and the Ulster Wildlife Trust, in addition to a number of universities in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. EBR provides a unique service to these projects in respect of the financial management of EU funding, thus ensuring all expenditure is in line with the programme rules.

The Co-Innovate programme led by InterTradeIreland will assist 1,409 businesses within the INTERREG VA eligible area and is particularly useful in the current context of Brexit. As a result of this collaborative approach and the expertise that has been developed over the years of managing EU funding, EBR has built up strong networks locally, nationally and internationally.

We remain an active member of the Association of European Border Regions, AEBR, which is a network of cross-border regions across Europe. EBR is respected by government departments in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Brussels, and it has developed good working relationships with the special EU programmes body, Deputies, Senators, MPs, MLAs and MEPs. The former secretary general of AEBR, Mr. Jens Gabbe, said EBR is an indispensable link in the Europe-wide network of AEBR. He also stated this cross-Border co-operation has contributed to remarkable positive economic and social development in Ireland and Northern Ireland and created verifiable added value. While there is no doubt that the myriad EU-funded projects that have been drawn down over the past 25 years have significantly contributed to the growth of the Border economy, there is no room for complacency.

Over the past 40 years, EBR has displayed an astute ability to adapt to the many challenges that have faced the organisation at both local and national levels. This flexible approach and the pragmatism displayed by local elected politicians and local authority senior officials have ensured that EBR has survived while similar organisations have come and gone. In the face of the Brexit challenge, it is essential that we adhere to our core principle, that is, to promote sustainable, cross-Border economic development that benefits the citizens of the region. Brexit, however, will be a game changer. I will now hand over to our chief executive of many years, Ms Pamela Arthurs, to discuss this further.