Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Areas for North-South co-operation and implementation may include
the following:
1. Agriculture - animal and plant
health.
2. Education - teacher qualifications
and exchanges.
3. Transport - strategic transport
planning.
4. Environment - environmental
protection, pollution,
water quality, and waste management.
5. Waterways - inland waterways.
6. Social Security/Social Welfare -
entitlements of
cross-border workers and fraud
control.
7. Tourism - promotion, marketing,
research, and
product development.
8. Relevant EU Programmes such as
SPPR, INTERREG,
Leader II and their successors.
9. Inland Fisheries.
10. Aquaculture and marine matters
11. Health: accident and emergency
services and
other related cross-border issues.
12. Urban and rural development.
Others to be considered by the shadow
North/ South
Council.
STRAND THREE
BRITISH-IRISH COUNCIL
1. A British-Irish Council (BIC) will
be established under
a new British-Irish Agreement to
promote the
harmonious and mutually beneficial
development of
the totality of relationships among
the peoples of
these islands.
2. Membership of the BIC will comprise
representatives of the British and
Irish Governments,
devolved institutions in Northern
Ireland, Scotland
and Wales, when established, and, if
appropriate,
elsewhere in the United Kingdom,
together with
representatives of the Isle of Man and
the Channel
Islands.
3. The BIC will meet in different
formats: at summit
level, twice per year; in specific
sectoral formats on a
regular basis, with each side
represented by the
appropriate Minister; in an
appropriate format to
consider cross-sectoral matters.
4. Representatives of members will
operate in
accordance with whatever procedures
for
democratic authority and
accountability are in force
in their respective elected
institutions.
5. The BIC will exchange information,
discuss, consult
and use best endeavours to reach
agreement on
co-operation on matters of mutual
interest within the
competence of the relevant
Administrations. Suitable
issues for early discussion in the BIC
could include
transport links, agricultural issues,
environmental
issues, cultural issues, health
issues, education issues
and approaches to EU issues. Suitable
arrangements
to be made for practical co-operation
on agreed
policies.
6. It will be open to the BIC to agree
common
policies or common actions. Individual
members
may opt not to participate in such
common policies
and common action.
7. The BIC normally will operate by
consensus. In
relation to decisions on common
policies or
common actions, including their means
of
implementation, it will operate by
agreement of all
members participating in such policies
or actions.
8. The members of the BIC, on a basis
to be agreed
between them, will provide such
financial support as
it may require.
9. A secretariat for the BIC will be
provided by the
British and Irish Governments in
co-ordination with
officials of each of the other
members.
10. In addition to the structures
provided for under
this agreement, it will be open to two
or more
members to develop bilateral or
multilateral
arrangements between them. Such
arrangements
could include, subject to the
agreement of the
members concerned, mechanisms to
enable
consultation, co-operation and joint
decision-making
on matters of mutual interest; and
mechanisms to
implement any joint decisions they may
reach. These
arrangements will not require the
prior approval of
the BIC as a whole and will operate
independently of
it.
11. The elected institutions of the
members will be
encouraged to develop
interparliamentary links,
perhaps building on the British-Irish
Interparliamentary
Body.
12. The full membership of the BIC
will keep under
review the workings of the Council,
including a
formal published review at an
appropriate time after
the Agreement comes into effect, and
will contribute
as appropriate to any review of the
overall political
agreement arising from the multi-party
negotiations.
--
Two rules in life:
1. Don't tell people everything you know.
2.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
