Stephen Lindsay, president of the Derry Chamber of Commerce, addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. He described Derry, Strabane, and Donegal as a single functional economic area with an interconnected labour market, travel-to-work zone, and shared commercial geography.

Lindsay stated that policy, investment, and infrastructure require stronger cross-border alignment to realize the region's potential. He noted that a stronger north west benefits the wider Northern Ireland economy and the all-island economy.

Progress has occurred in the region since the Good Friday Agreement, he said. The north west is now more confident, institutionally connected, and credible for investment than a generation ago. Structural underperformance persists, however, with Derry city and Strabane below the Northern Ireland average on gross value added.

Workers and businesses operate across the border daily, Lindsay told the committee. Education and skills partnerships function on a cross-border basis. Structures like the north-west strategic growth partnership and the North West Tertiary Education Cluster demonstrate effective institutional collaboration.

Policy lags behind this economic integration, he argued. Employers and workers encounter issues with taxation, pensions, mortgages, remote working, social security, and qualification recognition. Businesses face policy differences, such as VAT treatment in hospitality, which affects trade in the shared market.

Lindsay identified infrastructure gaps including wastewater capacity, which limits population growth, labour mobility, development, university expansion, and investment appeal. He highlighted the A5 road as vital for safety, regional balance, connectivity, and economic credibility, along with rail improvements from the all-island strategic rail review.