British–Irish Council

The British–Irish Council (BIC; Irish: Comhairle na Breataine–na hÉireann) is an intergovernmental organisation that aims to improve collaboration between its members in a number of areas including transport, the environment and energy.^[1] Its membership comprises Ireland, the United Kingdom, the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, in addition to the governments of the British Crown Dependencies: Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. As England does not have a devolved administration, it is not individually represented on the council but only as a member of the United Kingdom.^[2]

British–Irish Council

Comhairle na Breataine–na hÉireann
Logo of the British–Irish Council
Heads of government meet in Edinburgh (Scotland) for the 42nd council summit
Abbreviation	BIC
Formation	2 December 1999; 25 years ago (1999-12-02)
Type	Intergovernmental organisation
Headquarters	Edinburgh, Scotland (secretariat)
Coordinates	55°56′45″N 3°13′21″W
Region served	British Isles
Membership	Ireland (signatory) United Kingdom (signatory) Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Cornwall (advisor)
Website	Official website

The British and Irish governments, and political parties in Northern Ireland, agreed to form a council under the British–Irish Agreement, part of the Good Friday Agreement reached in 1998. The council was formally established on 2 December 1999, when the Agreement came into effect. The council's stated aim is to "promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands". The BIC has a standing secretariat, located in Edinburgh, Scotland; it meets in semi-annual summits and more frequent ministerial meetings.^[3]

Background

The British–Irish Council was established on 10 April 1998 following two years worth of negotiations between the UK and Irish Governments alongside the political parties in Northern Ireland on the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, a political organisation was to be established in order to foster and provide opportunities to greater integral working between both the UK and Irish governments, and later the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Multi-Party agreement between both the UK and Irish governments formally came into effect on 2 December 1999.^[4]

Since its formation, the heads of governments of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey have met biannually during the Heads of Administrations summit. The first meeting of the British–Irish council took place on 17 December 1999. The first meeting was hosted by the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Tony Blair in London.^[5]

In 2006, the St. Andrews Agreement was signed in order to establish a standing permanent Secretariat to the British–Irish Council. The establishment of the position was designed to "further the British-Irish Council work". The Permanent Secretariat was established six years later, located in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh following an agreement between council members at the summit in 2010 hosted by Guernsey that the Scottish Government would be the Permanent Secretariat host. The Secretariat was formally established in January 2012.^[5]

In 2023, the summits held in Jersey and the Republic of Ireland marked twenty-five years since the Good Friday Agreement,^[5] whilst the 42nd summit hosted by Scotland in December 2024 marked twenty-five years since the inaugural meeting of the council.^[6]

Overview and structure

A British-Irish Council summit hosted by Scotland at Stirling Castle

The nine heads of government meet at summits twice per year. Additionally, there are regular meetings that deal with specific sectors which are attended by the corresponding ministers. Representatives of members operate in accordance with whatever procedures for democratic authority and accountability are in force in their respective elected legislatures.

England, unlike the other countries of the United Kingdom, is not represented separately, as it does not have its own devolved administration. It is thus solely represented on the council as part of the United Kingdom. Although Cornwall technically holds observer status on the Council due to its language, it is also represented by the UK government.^[7][8]

The work of the council is financed by members through mutual agreement as required.^[9] At the ninth meeting of the Council in July 2007 it was decided that with devolved government returned to Northern Ireland that an opportune time existed "to undertake a strategic review of the Council's work programmes, working methods and support arrangements." This decision included the potential for a permanent standing secretariat, which was established in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 4 January 2012.

At its June 2010 summit, the Council decided to move forward on recommendations to enhance the relationship between it and the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA). The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly is made up of members from the parliaments and assemblies of the same states and regions as the members of the British–Irish Council. The Council tasked its secretariat with moving this work forward in conjunction with the BIPA's secretariat.

Work areas

Heads of government gather at the 16th summit held in London, June 2011

The Council agrees to specific work areas for which individual members take responsibility. The Belfast Agreement suggested transport links, agriculture, environmental issues, culture, health, education and approaches to the European Union as suitable topics for early discussion. However, these work areas can be expanded or reduced as the Council decides. It is also open to the council to make agreement on common policies. These agreements are made through consensus, although individual members may opt not to participate in implementing any of these.

The current list of work areas and the member responsible are:

• Collaborative spatial planning (Northern Ireland)
• Demography (Scotland)^[10]
• Digital inclusion (Isle of Man)
• Early years policy (Wales)
• Energy (United Kingdom – Electricity Grids, and Scotland – Marine)
• Environment (United Kingdom)
• Housing (Northern Ireland)
• Indigenous, minority and lesser-used languages (Wales)
• Misuse of Substances (drugs and alcohol) (Ireland)
• Social inclusion (Scotland and Wales)^[10]
• Transport (Northern Ireland)
• Creative Industries (Jersey)

Demography was adopted as a work area at the 2006 meeting of the council. It was proposed by the Scottish Executive, who also took responsibility for it. During the 2007 meeting of the council the Scottish Government further proposed that energy become a work area of the council. Past work sector areas included knowledge economy, e-health / telemedicine and tourism.

Membership and operation

Members and advisors

Member name	Symbols		Parliament	Membership	Membership status	Represented since
	Arms	Flag
United Kingdom			Parliament of the United Kingdom	full	sovereign state	1999
Ireland			Oireachtas
Scotland			Scottish Parliament		devolved government
Wales			Senedd
Northern Ireland	-	-	Northern Ireland Assembly
Jersey			States Assembly		crown dependency
Isle of Man			Tynwald
Guernsey			States of Guernsey

Advisor name	Symbols		Body	Advisor	Advisor status	Represented since
	Arms	Flag
Cornwall			Cornwall Council	Advisor on Cornish language	English unitary authority	2023[11]

Current leaders

Membership of the Council consists of the following administrations (with current heads of administrations as of February 2025):

Member	Representative(s)			Title
United Kingdom			Keir Starmer MP	Prime Minister
Ireland			Micheál Martin TD	Taoiseach
Scotland			John Swinney MSP	First Minister
Wales			Eluned Morgan MS	First Minister
Northern Ireland[a]			Michelle O'Neill MLA[12]	First Minister
			Emma Little-Pengelly MLA	deputy First Minister
Jersey			Deputy Lyndon Farnham	Chief Minister
Isle of Man			Alfred Cannan MHK	Chief Minister
Guernsey			Deputy Lyndon Trott	Chief Minister

Name of the Council

Initial suggestions for the council included the names Council of the British Isles^[13] or Council of the Isles,^[14] and the council has sometimes been known by the latter name. However, owing to sensitivities around the term British Isles, particularly in Ireland, the name British–Irish Council was agreed.

The official name of the council is represented in minority and lesser-used languages of the council as:

Cornish: Konsel Predennek-Iwerdhonek[15] Guernésiais: Conseil Britannique-Irlàndais Irish: Comhairle na Breataine-na hÉireann[16] Jèrriais: Conseil Britannique-Irlandaisⓘ Manx: Coonceil Ghoaldagh-Yernagh

Scottish Gaelic: Comhairle Bhreatainn-Èirinn Scots: Brits-Airis Cooncil Ulster-Scots: Britisch-Airisch Cooncil[17] Welsh: Cyngor Prydain-Iwerddon

Summits

Number	Date	Host	Host leader(s)	Location held	Communique/reference
1st	17 December 1999	United Kingdom	Tony Blair	London
2nd	30 November 2001	Ireland	Bertie Ahern	Dublin
3rd	14 June 2002	Jersey	Pierre Horsfall	Saint Helier
4th	22 November 2002	Scotland	Jack McConnell	New Lanark
5th	28 November 2003	Wales	Rhodri Morgan	St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff
6th	28 November 2004	Guernsey	Laurie Morgan	Castle Cornet
7th	20 May 2005	Isle of Man	Donald Gelling	Villa Marina, Douglas
8th	2 June 2006	United Kingdom	John Prescott	ExCeL Conference Centre, London
9th	16 July 2007	Northern Ireland	Ian Paisley Martin McGuinness	Parliament Buildings, Belfast
10th	14 February 2008	Ireland	Bertie Ahern	Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin
11th	26 September 2008	Scotland	Alex Salmond	Hopetoun House, South Queensferry
12th	20 February 2009	Wales	Rhodri Morgan	SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff
13th	13 November 2009	Jersey	Terry Le Sueur	Radisson Hotel, Saint Helier
14th	25 June 2010	Guernsey	Lyndon Trott	Fermain Valley Hotel, Saint Peter Port
15th	13 December 2010	Isle of Man	Tony Brown	Sefton Hotel, Douglas
16th	20 June 2011	United Kingdom	Nick Clegg	Lancaster House, London
17th	13 January 2012	Ireland	Enda Kenny	Dublin Castle, Dublin
18th	22 June 2012	Scotland	Alex Salmond	Stirling Castle, Stirling
19th	26 November 2012	Wales	Carwyn Jones	Cardiff Castle, Cardiff
20th	21 June 2013	Northern Ireland	Peter Robinson Martin McGuinness	Magee College, Derry
21st	15 November 2013	Jersey	Ian Gorst	L’Horizon Hotel, Saint Brélade
22nd	13 June 2014	Guernsey	Jonathan Le Tocq	St. Pierre Park Hotel, Saint Peter Port
23rd	28 November 2014	Isle of Man	Allan Bell	Villa Marina Complex, Douglas
24th	19 June 2015	Ireland	Enda Kenny	Dublin Castle, Dublin
25th	27 November 2015	United Kingdom	Theresa Villiers	Lancaster House, London
26th	17 June 2016	Scotland	Nicola Sturgeon	Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow
27th Extraordinary	22 July 2016	Wales	Carwyn Jones	Cathays Park, Cardiff
28th	25 November 2016	Wales	Carwyn Jones	Cathays Park, Cardiff
29th	10 November 2017	Jersey	Ian Gorst	L’Horizon Hotel, St. Brelade
30th	22 June 2018	Guernsey	Gavin St Pier	St Pierre Park Hotel, Saint Peter Port	[30]
31st	9 November 2018	Isle of Man	Howard Quayle	Isle of Man	[31]
32nd	28 June 2019	United Kingdom	David Lidington	Manchester
33rd	15 November 2019	Ireland	Leo Varadkar	Dublin
34th	6 November 2020	Scotland	Nicola Sturgeon	via video conferencing
35th	11 June 2021	Northern Ireland	Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill	Lough Erne resort, Fermanagh	[18]
36th	19 November 2021	Wales	Mark Drakeford	Cardiff
37th	8 July 2022	Guernsey	Peter Ferbrache	St. Pierre Park Hotel, Saint Peter Port
38th	11 November 2022	United Kingdom	Rishi Sunak	Blackpool	[10]
39th	16 June 2023	Jersey	Kristina Moore	St Brelade	[19]
40th	24 November 2023	Ireland	Leo Varadkar	Dublin Castle
41st	21 June 2024	Isle of Man	Alfred Cannan	Isle of Man	[20]
42nd	5–6 December 2024	Scotland	John Swinney	Edinburgh	[21]

See also

• Council of Ireland
• North/South Ministerial Council
• British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference
• British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly
• Interparliamentary Forum
• Council of Nations and Regions
• East–West Council

Notes

1. The First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland is a diarchy. While other members of the organization are represented at Summit Meetings by their respective chief ministers, or on occasions have sent their deputies, Northern Ireland is represented by both the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. The Scottish and Welsh Deputy First Ministers have attended meetings in the past.

References

1. Jesse, Neal G., Williams, Kristen P.: Identity and institutions: conflict reduction in divided societies.Publisher SUNY Press, 2005, page 107. ISBN 0-7914-6451-2
2. See Vernon Bogdanor, 'The British–Irish Council and Devolution', in Government and Opposition: An International Journal of Comparative Politics, volume 34, issue 3, July 1999, pp.291–295.
3. "British-Irish Council". Scottish Government. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
4. Council, The British Irish. "Background". The British Irish Council. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
5. Council, The British Irish. "Timeline". The British Irish Council. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
6. "Scotland to host 42nd British-Irish Council". gov.scot. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
7. "Fourth Report Submitted By United Kingdom Pursuant To Article 25, Paragraph 2 Of The Framework Convention For The Protection Of National Minorities". Council of Europe. 8 April 2015. p. 25. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
8. "New Frontiers: Cornish Culture and Heritage" (PDF). Cornwall Council. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
9. Belfast Agreement Archived 22 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine – Strand Three, Articles 8 and 9.
   British-Irish Council website, Frequently Asked Questions: Who pays for the British-Irish Council? Archived 30 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
10. "In Context: The British-Irish Council". 22 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
11. "Cornwall Council approves new devolution deal". 28 November 2023.
12. "DUP: NI First Minister Paul Givan announces resignation". BBC News. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
13. UDP proposes creation of British Isles council Archived 11 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Irish Times, 30 May 1996
14. The British-Irish Council: Nordic Lessons for the Council of the Isles Archived 10 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Mads Qvortrup and Robert Hazell, The Constitution Unit, October 1998
15. "Menystrans hembronk rag yethow teythyek, minoryta ha le-usys yw an Governans Kembrek". British-Irish Council. 16 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
16. 1/1999: AN tACHT UM CHOMHAONTÚ NA BREATAINE-NA hÉIREANN, 1999
17. "Work of the British-Irish Council". British-Irish Council. Archived from the original on 29 January 2004. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
18. "Arlene Foster bows out with smiles and Frank Sinatra's That's Life". The Guardian. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
19. "Jersey to host 39th British-Irish Council Summit". 13 June 2023.
20. Gash, Juliette (21 June 2024). "Taoiseach attends British-Irish Council on Isle of Man". RTÉ News.
21. Council, The British Irish; Penny, Lisa (2 December 2024). "British-Irish Council Summit to be hosted by the Scottish Government". The British Irish Council. Retrieved 5 December 2024.

External links

• Official website