Bertie Ahern to address ‘border counties in Europe’ meeting in Cavan

SENATOR Niall Blaney says former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, is to be the guest speaker at a public meeting he’s organising in Cavan on Thursday, May 2.

Senator Blaney, who’s Fianna Fail’s ‘border counties candidate’ in the European Election, says the presence of Mr Ahern is full recognition of the importance he attaches to delivering a better deal for the region.

Senator Blaney said Bertie Ahern was pivotal in peace building on this island.

“His tireless commitment is internationally recognised. He is one of Ireland’s finest statesmen – one of the frontline politicians instrumental in creating the ground-breaking 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

“The title for the meeting is ‘The Border Counties in Europe’. I want to highlight the importance of not being left behind. I will fight for a realistic deal for our farmers and ensure that those who draw up EU Regional Fund packages place our region front and centre in all their decision-making.

“Our southern border counties trade freely with the five northern border counties. Cross-border trade is worth in the region of €12 billion and I believe there’s ample scope to increase that further.

“Our focus should be on this valuable single, island-wide market and the potential that exists. The Brexit Windsor Framework creates opportunities for Midlands-North West to build new businesses and for our existing companies to innovate and generate employment.

“When you add the fifteen counties in Midlands-North West with the six northern counties, we see a combined market of about 3.5 million people. That figure means commercial and economic opportunities and I would like to see trade between the twenty-one counties substantially increased.

“We can and must build on the gains of the Peace Process and the invaluable work that Bertie Ahern did. We will hear at first hand from one of the greatest leaders in Fianna Fail history when he addresses us in the Kilmore Hotel in Cavan at 8pm on Thursday, 2^nd May,” he concluded.

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