After the Irish Republic joined the eurozone on Jan. 1, 2002 with 13 of the 15 other EU states, there have been growing calls in Northern Ireland that its proximity to the South means that the six counties should also adopt the euro.
Farren’s move comes just days after Sweden announced it is to hold a vote on the matter in September next year.
“With each day that passes trade with countries in the Eurozone becomes more difficult,” Farren said. “In Northern Ireland we experience daily the negative effects of having a neighbour in the single currency. This is to be seen in the huge imbalance in cross-border trade which favours the South.”
The Republic is the province’s largest trading partner and together with the rest of the EU buys more than