The upcoming referendum on the United Kingdom’s continued membership of the European Union is, arguably, the single most important decision that UK citizens have been asked to make in a generation. This view is maintained by Prime Minster David Cameron, for whom, the referendum presents “a huge decision for country, perhaps the biggest we will […]
Read MoreBriefing Papers
The UK Referendum on Membership of the EU: Cross-Border Cooperation, Peace-Building and Regional Development
Leading up to the referendum, the Centre for Cross Border Studies and Co-operation Ireland are publishing a series of briefing papers which aim to inform debate by exploring the potential impacts on Northern Ireland and North-South relations. This third paper in the series considers the role the European Union has played in supporting crossborder cooperation that […]
Read MoreBorder People Briefing: Free movement of people and the UK EU Referendum
The UK referendum on continued membership of the EU will take place on 23rd June 2016. One of the key issues imbedded in the referendum is the UK’s intention to limit the free movement of people, one of the EU’s four principal freedoms, together with the free movement of goods, services and capital. With the […]
Read MoreThe Potential Implications of Brexit for Cross-Border Bodies
CCBS provided a policy seminar on “The Potential Implications of Brexit for Cross-Border Bodies”, held in Dublin on 28 April 2016. Gathering members of the Advisory Board of SafeFood, as well as stakeholders of cross-border implementation bodies, the seminar examined the extent to which policy and regulatory divergence between the two jurisdictions on the island […]
Read MoreCCBS and Cooperation Ireland publish second EU Referendum Briefing Paper
In the run-up to the referendum, the Centre for Cross Border Studies and Co-operation Ireland are publishing a series of briefing papers which aim to inform debate by exploring the potential impacts on Northern Ireland and North-South relations. The first paper in this series provided an overview of the potential consequences of a ‘leave’ vote […]
Read MoreEU Referendum: Briefing paper series
By the end of 2017 (but perhaps as early as June 2016) the people of the United Kingdom will have voted in a referendum that will decide whether the UK remains a member of the European Union. Given the importance of what is at stake and the range of complex issues the referendum raises, the […]
Read MoreThe possible implications of repealing the Human Rights Act 1998
In October 2014, the Conservative Party published a strategy paper titled ‘Protecting Human Rights in the UK’. In this document, Chris Grayling in his role as Secretary of State for Justice laid out Conservative proposals for reforming the UK’s human rights laws and specifically the repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998.The proposal to scrap […]
Read MoreBorder People Briefing: Cross-border Family Benefits
For cross-border workers the country of employment usually pays Family Benefits even if the family reside in another EU state. This EU legislation applies to many families living in the Irish border region. How the EU legislation is implemented by the Irish and UK authorities frequently results in excessive delays in payments and as a […]
Read MoreThe Future of Cross-Border Cooperation in a rural context
The Rural Community Network’s latest edition of Network News was dedicated to considering what the future may look like for rural communities, with several contributors from a range of sectors offering predictions for trends in their particular areas of expertise. Anthony Soares, CCBS’s Research & Policy Manager, contributed a piece entitled “Bordering on the Future”, […]
Read MoreBorder People Briefing: Cross Border Information Services in Europe and Ireland / Northern Ireland
More than one third of EU citizens live in cross-border regions. For many individuals crossing the border for work, to visit family, to shop, for leisure, to study or to retire is a natural occurrence. Despite efforts from the EU to protect the right to free movement there remain many well documented obstacles to cross-border mobility […]
Read MoreBorder People Briefing: Obstacles to Cross-border mobility; Taxation
The foundation of the European Community in 1957 established the right to free movement between member states. These rights are enshrined in Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the Europe Union although their practical application at national level can sometimes hinder rather than encourage cross-border mobility. The most frequent issues identified are […]
Read MoreBorder People Briefing: Barriers to Student Flows
Considering the fact that Ireland is a small island which shares a common language and two intimately comparable education systems, it would be natural to assume that large numbers of students from each jurisdiction would cross the border each year to study. This briefing paper examines the impact of barriers to student mobility on the […]
Read More
