The North/South institutions of the Good Friday Agreement
North/South Ministerial Council and Implementation Bodies
44. The programme of activity ahead will include:
· the taking forward of Fisheries legislation;
· continuing discussions with relevant Authorities to enable the transfer of Lights functions to the Body.
45. In addition to its ongoing operation in the Foyle Area, the Loughs Agency is actively examining the potential for enhanced marine tourism in the Foyle and Carlingford Areas, and for the development of shell fisheries and aquaculture as these have significant job-creation potential.
The Six Areas for Co-operation
46. Strand Two of the Good Friday Agreement requires that at least 6 areas are to be identified and agreed for co-operation through the mechanism of existing bodies in each separate jurisdiction. Effectively, in these areas common policies and approaches will be agreed in the NSMC but implemented separately in each jurisdiction. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the matters below (and the aspects of them as indicated) were agreed by the two Governments and the political parties as constituting the six Areas in question in the first instance. These six Areas were confirmed by the NSMC at its Inaugural Plenary Meeting in Armagh on 13 December, 1999. It is open to the NSMC, by agreement between the two sides, to consider other matters.
47. TRANSPORT: Cooperation on Strategic Transport Planning, including road and rail infrastructure & public transport services and Road and Rail Safety
48. Included among the decisions agreed by the NSMC at its December 2000 meeting were:
? the identification of opportunities for co-operation in relation to Strategic Transport Planning, including a review of strategies for the development of cross-border national/arterial roads; a review of the scope for further development of cross-border rail and bus services and the identification of opportunities for practical co-operation on the implementation of specific transport projects. A detailed work programme based on these opportunities is to be drawn up early this year.
? that Joint Road Safety Campaigns would continue to be promoted by the
Department of the Environment and the National Safety Council with one such
campaign envisaged annually;
? that research would be undertaken by the relevant authorities on both
sides of the border on road accident matters in certain borders areas;
? that the scope for developing mutual recognition of endorsements for road
traffic offences be explored, and
? that a detailed work programme on Rail Safety would be prepared, based on identified opportunities for cooperation.
49. To date, the NSMC has met on one occasion in Transport Sectoral format - i.e. 19 December 2000 in Belfast. The meeting was attended by Mrs Mary O'Rourke, TD, Minister for Public Enterprise, Mr Noel Dempsey, TD, Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr. Sam Foster MLA, Minister of the Environment and the First and Deputy First Ministers, who were at the meeting in the place of Mr. Gregory Campbell MLA, Minister of Regional Development.
50. AGRICULTURE: Discussion of CAP issues; animal and plant health policy and research; rural development.
Lead Ministers in the NSMC:
Northern Ireland Executive: Ms Bríd Rodgers, MLA, Minister of Agriculture
and Rural Development
Irish Government: Mr Joe Walsh, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural
Development.
51. To date, the Council in this Sector has dealt with issues relating to co-operation in agricultural matters. The importance of the role of the Council in furthering synergies in this vital Sector has been emphasised by Ministers who looked forward to continued progress to mutual benefit in this overall context.
52. The programme of work in this Sector includes:
? the identification of areas in relation to Animal and Plant Health Research
and Development which have the greatest potential for further research collaboration
and co-operation as well as a timetable for future work;
? the formalisation of liaison arrangements at official level on animal
health matters including the establishment of a Strategic Steering Group
which will co-ordinate animal health policy on the island and make regular
reports on co-operation on animal health matters together with recommendations
for policy and/or operational decisions to the NSMC. Policy Working Groups
are also to be established which will initially explore 8 different areas
of animal health which apply to the whole island. These Groups will be stood
down or new ones formed, as required;
? the endorsement of a programme of work for the Steering Committee on Cross-Border
Rural Development which forms the basis for a cross-border strategy for
rural development within the structural funds timeframe 2000-2006. The NSMC
asked the Committee to provide a progress report to its next meeting in
this Sectoral format;
? the maintenance of continued co-operation during the implementation phase
of the EU's scheme of Less Favoured Area Payments; and
? the need for close interaction in the context of the forthcoming WTO Round,
EU Enlargement and reviews of the Common Agricultural Policy under Agenda
2000. Ministers agreed that these were extremely important issues for the
future of the agri-sector on the whole island and agreed to liaise closely
as negotiations progress with the objective of ensuring that outcomes impact
fairly and avoid trade distortions as between North and South. |
