Dr. Anthony Soares:

I think the Chairman has answered his own question. While there are some general things we can say about communities living along the Border, many of which applied prior to the prospect of Brexit, it is too early to make an estimate of the kind alluded to by the Chair. It must be borne in mind that there are three distinct areas within the Border region: the north west, which has its own particular characteristics; the Dublin to Belfast corridor, which also has its own characteristics; and the central Border area, which is the most rural of the three areas and is perhaps facing the most challenges. During economic booms, the counties adjoining both sides of the Border generally lag behind other regions on the island of Ireland. During economic crises, those counties are always those most deeply affected. They always take longer to benefit from an upturn and they are always the first to be affected by a downturn. We know from experience that if Brexit presents an economic challenge or leads to an economic downturn, communities in Border counties on both sides of the Border will suffer the most.

I would like to pitch something to the committee before we conclude. Members may have received an invitation to an information session being hosted by the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs next Tuesday, 16 May 2017, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We are bringing over two teams from the Norway-Sweden border to address the seminar. The French ambassador in charge of trans-boundary co-operation will speak about the French experience of co-operation with Switzerland. This is an opportunity for Deputies and Senators to speak to those who are directly involved in administering and managing cross-border co-operation at the Norway-Sweden and France-Switzerland borders and who know the obstacles.