Developing Derry as a regional capital serving the northwest Border region has emerged as one of the main aims of a five-year plan drawn up by the City Partnership Board.
The report, First Plan For Progress 2000-2005, stresses the need to harmonise rates of corporate tax on both sides of the Border and for measures to counteract the problems caused by two different currencies.
The executive officer of the City Partnership Board, Mr Paul Laughlin, said it was felt the strong ties between Derry and Donegal had to be strengthened and the north-west had to be treated as one economic region.
For this to happen, policy changes would be needed on both sides of the Border. He said the allocation of funding by the Dublin Government for the development of the City of Derry Airport was an example of the kind of co-operation needed.
"Developing Derry as a regional capital would not be to the detriment of any town south of the Border. Anything good for Derry is also going to be good for Donegal," he said.
More than 100 organisations and 8,000 people contributed to the consultation process that went into drawing up the document over four years. Five specialist groups also worked on it.
"This is the first time we have had a long-term strategy based on what the citizens have to say. It does have civic authority behind it," Mr Laughlin said. The plan should be used as a basis for Government spending in the city in the future.
In developing Derry as a regional capital for the northwest, the emphasis is placed on developing third-level education, and ensuring further development of the city's institutions "is consistent with the needs of the wider north west cross-Border region".
The report stresses the importance of one of the cross-Border implementation bodies being located in Derry and argues also for one of the new Northern Ireland government departments to be based in the city.
Mr Laughlin said there was disappointment that the cross-Border body in Derry was the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission, which he described as "a fairly minor one".
"We had hoped for one with more potential for creating jobs and for building cross-Border structures around it," he said.
The suspension of the Northern Assembly is already affecting the Partnership Board's ability to promote the report. Before suspension, the Minister of Regional Development, Mr Peter Robinson, DUP, had strongly endorsed the plan. However, a meeting due to be held last week with the Assembly committee on regional development had to be cancelled.
The City Vision plan also deals with areas other than economic development. These include environment, community, culture and inclusion. It says one of the first issues to be addressed is the question of the city's name, Derry or Londonderry.
It proposes a debate which would not necessarily seek to reach agreement on a single name but would deal with the question in a "non-political, non-threatening" manner.
Every house in the city is to receive a summary of the document. Membership of the Partnership Board is drawn from the political parties represented on Derry City Council and business and community groups.
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