November 14 1974
THE Common Market said yesterday in Strasbourg it proposed giving special consideration to any joint Anglo-Irish development projects for the Irish border area once the Community’s long-stalled Regional Development Fund became a reality.
Commissioner George Thomson, responsible for the Fund told the European Parliament that following visits to both the Republic and Northern Ireland he had ordered a special urgent study on the economic problems resulting from the Community’s Internal frontiers. The study, which should be completed by the end of next month, was aimed at finding ways in which the Commission could help resolve economic problems caused by joint borders between EEC member states.
Irish Labour member Mr David Thornley said it was unrealistic to discuss development to the Irish border area without “being aware that a ring of steel in effect separates the North from the South.
It is completely unrealistic to ignore the fact that there have been between 150 and 200 exchanges of fire between the security forces of the North and South of Ireland.
It is unrealistic not to take into account the fact that the nearest town to the South in the North, Newry, is virtually rendered a desert by bomb explosions”, Mr Thornley added.
He reserved the right to argue with the British MPs about territorial sovereignty over what he called “the Northern part of my country”.
British Conservative, Mr James H Mill, head of the Assembly’s Regional Policy Committee, said he viewed the ring of steel mentioned by Mr Thornley as being of a temporary nature. An adequate regional fund would make the ring of steel disappear. “Nothing is more abrasive to rings of steel than prosperity”, he added.
Mr Thomson said in its request to the EEC governments for the go-ahead to establish the fund, now almost a year behind schedule, “The Commission proposes that special considerations should be given to projects of a trans-border nature”.
“I attach great priority to this proposition”, he said. “It seems to me this is a distinctive way in which it is possible to insure necessary regional development through the Community in a way that it is certainly very difficult to do at the nation-state level”.
The EEC’s Regional Development Fund did go on to deliver many projects along the border that provided peace, as well as socio-economic, benefits to border areas.
