<div>
<strong>Title: </strong>Cross Border Economic Development and the Border Development Zone Concept
<strong>Venue:</strong> Cavan Crystal Hotel, Cavan
<strong>Date:</strong> 30-31 January 2014
<strong><a href="http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cross-border-economic-development-and-the-border-development-zone-concept-tickets-10080770857">Register for the Conference here!</a></strong>
<strong>Access the conference programme <a href="http://dev.iclrd.org/iclrd2/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CCBS-ICLRD-Conference-Programme-Circulated-9Jan14-1.pdf">here</a></strong>
<p style="text-align: justify;">While there is no longer an all-island Common Chapter, the Irish Government’s 2007-2013 National Development Plan (NDP) notes that the border “causes natural markets to fragment along territorial lines, reducing economic interaction and the opportunity to develop economies of scale and strong indigenous industries is lost. Firms tend to shun border regions and infrastructural links are not developed, resulting in unbalanced economic growth. Taking an all-island approach will help deliver more balanced regional development and address the negative effects of the border” (p.96).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The <strong>Towards a Border Development Zone </strong>(BDZ) action research project explores the potential of a joint economic development approach across the whole Irish and Northern Irish cross-border region. The idea for the Border Development Zone originated in a meeting of policy makers (including representatives of InterTradeIreland, Invest NI, Forfás, Enterprise Ireland and IBEC) in Newry in September 2011 to discuss the emerging findings of the Bradley &amp; Best report, <em>Cross-Border Economic Renewal: Rethinking Regional Policy in Ireland</em>, which was commissioned by the <a href="http://www.crossborder.ie/">Centre for Cross Border Studies</a> (CCBS).  This project is part-financed by the European Union’s INTERREG IVA programme managed by the <a href="http://www.seupb.eu/" target="_blank">Special EU Programmes Body</a>.</p>
<strong><a href="http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cross-border-economic-development-and-the-border-development-zone-concept-tickets-10080770857">Register for the Conference here!</a></strong>
<a href="http://dev.iclrd.org/iclrd2/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Press-release-07112013-1.pdf">Read the full Press Release</a> [PDF 201Kb]
</div>