The Border People website is recognised as an important source of
cross-border citizens’ information and advice on the island of Ireland.  

Background:

In 2001 the North South Ministerial Council published a Study of Obstacles to Mobility, which explored the wide range of obstacles that hindered people moving across the Irish border to live and work. The report presented 50 recommendations / solutions and of relevance is the second recommendation which was:

A one-stop cross-border mobility information website should be established which would provide comprehensive and easily accessible information on key aspects of jobs, learning opportunities and living conditions on both sides of the border.

This would be linked with European Commission proposals for development of such a site on a pan-European basis. This site should also provide linkages to websites for government departments as well as representative agencies and voluntary groups.’

In response to this recommendation the North South Ministerial Council – NSMC Joint Secretariat, on behalf of the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), awarded a contract, to the Centre for Cross-Border Studies (CCBS) to develop a Cross-border Mobility website (www.borderpeople.info) as a central access point for all cross-border mobility information on the island of Ireland.

Current status:

The Centre for Cross Border Cooperation (established in 1999 as the Centre for Cross Border Studies), is an independent think tank with charitable status, based in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The Centre’s work is framed by the commitment to cross-border cooperation that is integral to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

The Centre manages the Border People project which provides support to citizens who cross the border regularly. Through the provision of information, the project aims to remove obstacles to cross-border mobility by empowering citizens so they can fully embrace opportunities on either side of the border.  The project provides practical information for people crossing the border to live, work, study or retire. The most popular topics include social security, taxation, welfare benefits, healthcare, pensions, and motoring.

In close collaboration with the mainstream advice services, the project also supports citizens advisors and information providers as they assist people with a variety of complex cross-border challenges. There has always been a ‘knowledge gap’ between the two citizens information networks on the island of Ireland, with many information providers in each jurisdiction having a very limited knowledge of the system on the other side of the border, which is understandable given that there is no formal training provided.  As a result the Border People project aims to embed, through training and support, the provision of cross-border information into the practices of mainstream information providers on both sides of the border.

As well as providing information to citizens and supporting the advice sectors in both jurisdictions the Border People project actively engages with policy and decision makers in Ireland and NI.  Behind the scenes the Centre for Cross Border Cooperation is advised and guided by members of the cross-border Advisory Group which includes the North South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat, Citizens Information Board (Ireland), Department of Social Protection / EU International section, the Cross Border Partnership for Employment Services and the Law Centre NI.

The Border People project is a clear example of cross-border cooperation at its most pragmatic and sensible: a means of supporting government departments, information and advice providers, and the general public in both jurisdictions to become more knowledgeable and thus more effective in dealing with practical obstacles to cross-border mobility.

Funding:

The project was initially funded in 2007 by the EU PEACE Programme and then developed with EU INTERREG funding.  It is currently part-funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Reconciliation Fund and PEACEPLUS from February 2026 to January 2029  – see About BorderPeople FLOW.