Taoiseach and Tánaiste to attend 42nd British-Irish Council in Edinburgh
- Published on: 5 December 2024
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin will today (Thursday) travel to Edinburgh, where the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, will host a reception to mark the 25th anniversary of the British-Irish Council, an institution established under the Good Friday Agreement.
The Taoiseach and Tánaiste will attend the 42nd summit meeting of the council tomorrow (Friday).
Discussions at the summit will focus on approaches across BIC member administrations to transition to a low-carbon economy in a sustainable and just way.
In the margins of the summit, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste will have a range of bilateral meetings, including with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, First Minister of Scotland John Swinney and First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan.
Speaking in advance of the summit, the Taoiseach said:
“I am very pleased to attend the British-Irish Council Summit in Edinburgh and warmly welcome that, for the first time in a number of years, the summit will see the leaders of all eight member administrations present. This will be an important occasion to discuss the shared and pressing issue of making sure that the transition to a low-carbon economy happens in a way that is fair on all parts of our communities across these islands, and to jointly mark the 25th anniversary of this Good Friday Agreement institution.
“Having positive relations across these islands matters to us all and this summit is an opportunity to underline the importance of the Good Friday institutions to maintaining that totality of relations."
The Tánaiste said:
“This summit comes at a positive moment for our relations with the UK. The British-Irish Council plays an important role in allowing us to address issues of mutual interest – supporting and sustaining progress across these islands. Ensuring our decarbonisation transition is done in a just and fair way is a priority for the government. By working collaboratively and sharing our experience with partners in the BIC, we can better support those most impacted by the transition.”
Notes
The British-Irish Council is an institution established by the British and Irish governments to give effect to the commitment in Strand 3 of the Good Friday Agreement ‘to promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands’.
Its member administrations are 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.