Developing Irish Sea Cooperation

Developing Irish Sea
Cooperation

Developing Irish Sea Cooperation, or DISC, is a two-year project to identify a strategy and action plan for cross-border cooperation between Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. DISC is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

DISC is providing the opportunity for project partners, Southern Regional Assembly, Executive Office Northern Ireland, Welsh Government and Scottish Government to prepare the ground for future North-South and East-West cross-border cooperation. Running from September 2024 to August 2026, DISC will explore the potential for future social and economic partnerships between these regions.

Budget: Funding of €499,612 has been awarded under the PEACEPLUS investment theme ‘Building and Embedding Partnership and Collaboration’, which is aimed at capitalising on working relationships between Northern Ireland and Ireland, as well as growing East-West links.

Objectives:

The project will:

Deliver a strategy and action plan for future North-South and East-West cross border economic and social cooperation.
Convene a Project Steering Committee of strategic and policy decision-makers from each jurisdiction, ensuring that the project’s ambitions align with and maximise national and regional policy goals.
Hold four cross border symposiums, one in Northern Ireland, one in Wales, one in Scotland and the final symposium in Ireland, where project stakeholders will have a platform to share their experiences and inform on the challenges and opportunities for future North-South and East-West cross-border cooperation.
Explore cross border cooperation through three key thematic areas – Sustainable Blue Economy, Innovation in Health and Life Sciences, and Communities & Culture – while remaining open to the identification of further themes as the project progresses.
Identify barriers and opportunities to future North-South and East-West cross-border cooperation between Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Identify support, post project, for future North-South and East-West cross border economic and social cooperation.

Built on Legacy

DISC is building on a legacy of thirty years of cross border cooperation and interregional cooperation between the project partners who have a history of interregional cooperation and Irish Sea partnerships under many ETC programmes, including the Ireland Wales programme, INTERREG VA Programme operated in Northern Ireland, the border counties and Western Scotland, Interreg Atlantic Area, Interreg Europe, Interreg North-West Europe, Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic, ESPON and URBACT.

Horizontal Principles

EU-supported projects must adhere to horizontal principles, ensuring compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and EU environmental laws. These principles include gender equality, non-discrimination, accessibility, sustainability, and the ‘do no significant harm’ standard, guiding both project activities and outcomes.

DISC and Horizontal Principles

DISC integrates horizontal principles into its operations through codes of practice that promote equitable, inclusive, and sustainable approaches. These codes will guide daily project activities and inform its long-term strategy for cross-border cooperation, embedding these principles into collaboration between Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland for lasting impact.