€500m Shared Island Unit fund will drive forward economic and social relations North and South – O’Dowd

Fine Gael TD and Chairperson of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, Fergus O’Dowd, has said the newly formed Shared Island Unit will drive forward economic and social relations North and South of the border.

Deputy O’Dowd was speaking following this week’s Good Friday Committee session which heard from officials from the Shared Island Unit in the Department of An Taoiseach.

“The Shared Island Unit was announced in the Programme for Government to work towards a consensus on a shared island and fostering better connections between North and South. The new unit based in the Department of An Taoiseach was allocated €500 million in Budget 2021 to fund North-South initiatives over the next five years,” Deputy O’Dowd said.

“As a border county TD, I’m acutely aware of the very damaging effects Brexit will have on our region. Projects such as the Narrow Water Bridge, Cross Border Greenways, employment opportunities and improvements to the Dublin-Belfast Rail Corridor must be prioritised in the 5 year funding strategy.

“Whilst we have made huge strides since the whole island, North and South, overwhelmingly endorsed the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, we must not rest on our laurels. We will continue to encourage positive dialogue and economic development at the forefront of our agenda,” Deputy O’Dowd concluded.