British-Irish Council To Meet In Scotland

6th December 2024

First Minister John Swinney will welcome political leaders to Scotland as he hosts the 42nd Summit meeting of the British-Irish Council.

The First Minister will hold talks with the UK Prime Minister, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, Prif Weinidog Cymru (the First Minister of Wales), the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, the Chief Minister of Jersey and the Chief Minister of Guernsey.

This main focus of the summit - which marks the 25th anniversary of the first meeting of the British-Irish Council - will see leaders gather for substantive talks on financing a just transition and tackling climate change.

First Minister John Swinney said:

"Scotland will welcome political leaders to our capital city as we gather for the 42nd Summit of the British-Irish Council - a meeting which also marks 25 years since the first council was held following the Good Friday Agreement. As we reflect on 25 years, it is testament to the value of the British-Irish Council that the partnership conceived a quarter of a century ago has prevailed in the midst of unprecedented change and challenge.

"The meeting in Edinburgh provides a forum for us to discuss the greatest challenge facing the next 25 years that of climate change and delivering a just transition. The need to share our knowledge, our efforts and our actions is no less urgent today than it was when the first British-Irish Council meeting was held in 1999.

"As First Minister of Scotland, achieving a just transition is integral to the four main priorities of my government. Scotland needs to attract investment to tackle climate change and grasp the opportunities of that journey to Net Zero in a way that grows our economy and helps provide investment to tackle child poverty and improve public services."

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https://www.britishirishcouncil.org/

The British-Irish Council was formally established following the Good Friday Agreement and brings together political leaders from the Northern Ireland Executive, the Government of Ireland, the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Isle of Man Government, the Government of Jersey, and the Government of Guernsey.

The following political leaders are attending the 42nd meeting of the British Irish Council in Edinburgh:

Scottish Government

Rt. Hon. John Swinney MSP, First Minister

Kate Forbes MSP, Deputy First Minister

Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs & Culture (Thursday only)

UK Government

Rt. Hon. Sir Keir Starmer MP, Prime Minister

Rt. Hon. Pat McFadden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn MP, SoS NI (Thursday only)

Government of Ireland

Simon Harris TD, Taoiseach

Micheál Martin TD, Tánaiste

Welsh Government

Rt. Hon. Eluned Morgan, Prif Weinidog Cymru (First Minister of Wales)

Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning

Northern Ireland Executive

Michelle O'Neill MLA, First Minister

Emma Little-Pengelly MLA, deputy First Minister

Minister Conor Murphy MLA, Minister for the Economy

Minister Andrew Muir MLA, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Isle of Man Government

Alfred Cannan, Chief Minister

Government of Jersey

Deputy Lyndon Farnham, Chief Minister

Deputy Ian Gorst, Minister for External Relations 

Government of Guernsey

Deputy Lyndon Trott, Chief Minister

The British-Irish Council (BIC) was formally established in December 1999. This followed the reaching of the multi-party agreement in Belfast on 10 April 1998, commonly known as the Belfast Agreement or Good Friday Agreement. This provided for the Council to be set up under Strand 3 (which deals with East-West relations).

The Member Administrations of the British-Irish Council are the Northern Ireland Executive; Government of Ireland; UK Government; Scottish Government; Welsh Government; Isle of Man Government; Government of Jersey, and Government of Guernsey.

As set out in the agreement, the Council aims to ‘promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands.' It does this through providing a forum where its members can share information and experiences on matters of mutual interest.