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About the BIC

Home About the BIC

Background

The British-Irish Council (BIC) was established in 1999 as an institution of Strand 3 of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which had been reached the preceding year.

The Council is tasked with promoting positive, practical, relations on an East-West basis between the people of these islands.

It operates through eight Member Administrations of these islands – the UK Government, Government of Ireland, Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, Isle of Man Government, Government of Jersey, and Government of Guernsey.

British-Irish Council Heads of Administration meet twice each year at Summit level. They first met in December 1999 in London.

The Council also meets regularly at Ministerial level – usually three to four times per year.

At the level of officials, a series of Work Sector groups, with members from across the islands, cooperate on an ongoing basis on a range of agreed, specified areas of cooperation and information-sharing.

Since 2012, a standing Secretariat to the BIC has been based in Edinburgh, hosted by the Scottish Government.

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Secretariat

The standing Secretariat for the British-Irish Council is provided by officials from the member administrations. It is staffed full-time, from a permanent base in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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