EU Youth Action Plan, Ctd ROI and NI come together

Following a recent North-South ministerial conference between NI and the ROI, the Irish Times reported on the EU Youth Action Plan:

"Mr Kenny said the Republic and Northern Ireland would work on programmes, and officials and ministers from Northern Ireland would be invited to attend the meeting with the OECD in Dublin in September.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the Youth Action Plan would be brought forward on a collaborative basis because “irrespective of whether a young person is unemployed in Derry or Dungarvan or Belfast or any other city in Ireland, what they are looking at is an opportunity to get employment, education training or work experience”.

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described youth unemployment as “a terrible scourge”. He said officials would work “very closely together” to access the EU fund.

More than 20 Ministers attended the council meeting to discuss the fund and other issues. These included the “success of the G8 summit” and the EU leadership, as well as tourism opportunities and diesel laundering."

Read more here.