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British-Irish Council – Annual Report – 2012
The British-Irish Council (BIC) is pleased to present its Annual Report for 2012, which is the
first since the new Secretariat was established in Edinburgh in January 2012. The report aims
to provide transparency and further raise the profile of the Council amongst stakeholders and
the wider public.
2012 saw significant developments for the Council with a scaling up of activities, supported by
the Secretariat. During the year, three Summits and three Ministerial meetings were held in
addition to Officials’ meetings across the range of Council work sectors.
The British-Irish Council Summits provide a unique space and opportunity for the Heads
of the eight British-Irish Council Member Administrations to come together to discuss and
collaborate on matters of mutual interest. In 2012, Summits were held in the historic castles of
Dublin (January), Stirling (June) and Cardiff (November). Unsurprisingly, given the difficult
economic climate the Summit discussions strongly focused on the economy. The issue of youth
employment was a particular feature at all Summits and Ministers asked that all the Council
work sectors consider how they could progress this issue as part of their forward work plans.
Other key topics addressed by Heads of Administration included combating substance abuse,
marine energy and early years policy.
Three of the eleven Council work sectors met at Ministerial level. In Edinburgh in September,
the Council’s Environment Ministers got hands on with biodiversity challenges and agreed
increased collaboration to support early warning on invasive non-native species. Ministers
responsible for tackling misuse of drugs met in Jersey in June to discuss the challenges of
dealing with new and emerging drug trends and agreed to expand their work to cover the
increasing problem of use and misuse of alcohol. Social Inclusion Ministers convened in
Cardiff City Hall in March and adopted an important report on the Contribution of the Third
Sector to Social Inclusion.
Other work sector areas ranging from indigenous and minority languages to energy continue
to make significant progress in sharing best practice and developing practical collaboration.
The breadth of work undertaken in the Council continues to develop.
Foreword