Head of NI Civil Service launches 2013 Journal of Cross Border Studies

The 2013 Journal of Cross Border Studies in Ireland was launched in Belfast today [9 April 2013] by the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Permanent Secretary of OFMDFM, Dr Malcolm McKibbin. He also formally launched the Centre’s eight new research, training and information projects for the period 2013-2015 (under the title INICCO-2)(see Research). These projects are part-financed by the EU INTERREG IVA programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

Dr McKibbin said: ‘The Centre for Cross Border Studies has been at the forefront of policy research undertaken on a cross-border basis at a time of significant change on the island of Ireland. In recent years it has supported projects of great cross-border benefit in areas such as health, education and cross-border mobility.’ He said its work could ‘help policy makers to cooperate better to help improve people’s lives in the border regions of both jurisdictions.’

The launch was also addressed by Pat Colgan, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body, who said that the Centre for Cross Border Studies was ‘a centre of innovation in what cross-border cooperation is and should be’. He praised, in particular, its development of practical tools such as the Impact Assessment Toolkit for Cross-border Cooperation and its ‘example of looking beyond the island’ to bring in European partners such as the Euro-Institut in  Germany.

Dr John Bradley, formerly of the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin, paid tribute to the life and work of Sir George Quigley, who died last month, and to whom the 2013 edition of the Journal of Cross Border Studies is dedicated.

The eighth Journal of Cross Border Studies in Ireland features

• an interview on North-South cooperation with Sir George Quigley;

and articles on:

• economic relations between Britain and Ireland;
• the role of impact assessment in supporting cross-border cooperation;
• the development of archaeology in Ireland, north and south;
• the Newry-Dundalk ‘twin city’ region;
• cross-border cooperation between Galicia in NW Spain and northern Portugal; and
• cross-border cooperation between the community and voluntary sector and other civil society bodies.

It also carries detailed information on all the Centre’s research, training and information activities, as well as those of its associated bodies: the International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD), the Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCoTENS) and Universities Ireland.

Download a PDF copy of the Journal (5,820Kb)

 

Notes to Editors’

• The Special EU Programmes Body is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Finance in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU structural funds Programmes PEACE III and INTERREG IV designed to enhance cross-border co-operation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society. The Programmes operate within a clearly defined area including Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland.
• The INTERREG IVA Programme, funded under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is worth €256 million and aims to address the economic and social problems which result from the existence of borders. It has two distinct priority measures to create co-operation for a more prosperous and sustainable cross-border region.
• For more information on the SEUPB please visit www.seupb.eu