Ireland's government partner's plan envisages the cost of the island's unification at 25 billion euros in the first year

Fine Gael has drafted a plan to address the cost of reuniting Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, with the Republic of Ireland.

Accordingly, it was stated that in the most optimistic estimates, the cost of the unification of the Island to the Republic of Ireland would be at least 3.2 billion euros (approximately 178 billion liras).

However, the plan also shared the prediction that merger costs could reach 25 billion euros in the first year, and it was also estimated that this cost would approach 41.2 billion euros in the first 25 years.

It was also underlined that in the plan, a unit reporting to the deputy prime minister would be established to carry out the merger process and a wealth fund would be established to cover the merger costs, and that the agreement to be made with the British government would be decisive in the cost calculations.

In the plan, which introduced four models called "central", "federal", "controlled integration" and "high cost" for a united Ireland, different projections were also presented depending on whether the UK government would undertake pension obligations and debt interest.

It was stated that in the federal model, Northern Ireland's level is envisaged to be equal to Ireland within 20 years, and this system will cost the Island 500 million euros annually.

In the "high cost" scenario, where social benefits and wages in Northern Ireland are increased to Irish levels on the first day of reunification, it is estimated that the annual cost will reach 1 billion euros.

In the plan, which noted that the controlled integration would cover a 15-year period, it was stated that the cost of this scenario to the Republic of Ireland would be 250 million euros annually, in addition to the investment of 1.5 billion euros.

It was stated that the model to be chosen in the plan and the agreement to be made with the British government would change the cost of the merger between 3.2 billion euros and 25 billion euros in the first year.

Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris, leader of government partner Fine Gael, said in a statement regarding the plan: "We must be ready to ask difficult questions, face challenges and make the necessary plans for the future." he said.

Stating that discussions about the future of the island have intensified, Harris said, "Peace and reconciliation are never guaranteed. For Fine Gael, the unity of Ireland has never been about making constitutional arrangements or removing invisible borders. Unification should bring people together, create trust, and create a common future for all communities, traditions and identities." he said.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin announced on November 3 that they would launch a formation called "Future Research Initiative" that would conduct studies on the unification of Ireland and Northern Ireland.