9 December 2004 Edition
MEPs address underinvestment in Northwest
Mary Lou McDonald, Bairbre de Brún and Mitchel McLaughlin
Sinn Féin MEPs Bairbre de Brún and Mary Lou McDonald addressed an audience of almost 100 representatives of the business, community, trades union and civic sectors of society throughout Derry and Donegal at Da Vinci's Hotel, Derry on Monday. The two Sinn Féin MEPs were in the Northwest Region on a fact finding visit as the guest of Foyle MLA Mitchel McLaughlin. The visit was a resounding success, with a noticeable cross-community attendance.
"Mary Lou and I intend to work with each other and with our fellow MEPs to further the needs of the Northwest in Brussels and Strasbourg," said Bairbre. "It is already recognised through existing EU programmes that the border presents specific disadvantages to infrastructural, economic and social development. We know that the border has significantly hampered development in the Derry/Donegal area, as with the other border corridors, and that it continues to do so.
"The European Commission and Parliament are presently working on ways of making cross-border working between local and regional bodies much easier, and you'll know of course that as Sinn Féin MEPs, our intention is to go much further than that," said Bairbre.
"Sinn Féin recognises the need for targeted investment in the Northwest in terms of infrastructure, arterial routes and networks, indigenous business development, rural diversification and initiatives to tackle outward migration. We know that developing the competitiveness of this whole area will be all-important in the time ahead.
"Modern telecommunications and infrastructure are essential to develop the ability to compete with the other regions of Europe and the wider world in attracting inward investment. This is an area where we believe there could still be scope for EU intervention and assistance
"There is a fresh urgency to this issue, because the present EU structural funding programme ends in 2006, and the Commission has announced a sharp reduction in regional funding to Ireland from 2007-2013.
"As a member of the Regional Development Committee within the European Parliament, I have the opportunity to discuss these and other issues with colleagues from across the EU political spectrum. Work for the regeneration of the North West was a key part of Sinn Féin's EU election manifesto and this visit is part of a programme of work to find new and innovative ways to achieve this end."