“It is vitally important that the recent proposal put forward by the Futures Academy, at Dublin Institute of Technology on scrapping the Spatial Strategy be immediately stopped in its tracks. The proposal runs counter to the objective of ‘balanced regional development’ and makes the case for a greater concentration of resources along the East coast”.

This was stated by Independent MEP Marian Harkin when she responded to the proposals contained in the recent DIT Report.

She said:- "I find this proposal totally at odds with thinking in the European Parliament. The Fourth Cohesion Report produced by the European Commission has as its title 'Growing Regions Growing Europe'. The title in itself clearly illustrates the thinking at EU level. The Regional Development Commissioner Danuta Hübner says in the foreword  ‘with this Report the Commission is launching the debate on how in the face of the forthcoming social and economic changes Cohesion Policy can best continue to foster regional development and convergence...Europe cannot grow without strong and growing regions’. I would like to borrow the Commissioner’s words and say to those who propose scrapping the Spatial Strategy, ‘Ireland cannot grow without strong and growing regions’.

"Furthermore this proposal totally ignores the evidence, compiled by the Western Development Commission which highlights the fact that over 41% of people living in the East would like to move West. What this 'Think Tank' should be proposing is the building up of the infrastructure in the West alongside the provision of adequate services both economic and social so that those who want to remain in the West and those who wish to move West can have the opportunity to do so." Marian Harkin MEP concluded.