First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly attended the 42nd meeting of the British-Irish Council (BIC) on Friday 6 December.
The meeting was chaired by the Scottish First Minister John Swinney in Edinburgh.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Pat McFadden attended on behalf of the UK Government, with Taoiseach Simon Harris attending on behalf of the Irish Government.
The Government of Guernsey, the Isle of Man Government, the Government of Jersey, and the Welsh Government also attended the meeting.
The focus of the meeting was ‘Financing a Just Transition’, with the Council discussing decarbonisation and net zero. They also discussed the “importance of working in collaboration with the private sector to encourage inward investment and increase employment opportunities within the renewable energy industry to stimulate economic growth and prosperity across these islands”.
The First and Deputy First Ministers held bilateral meetings with Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin and spoke with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Economy Minister Conor Murphy and Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir also attended the summit.
The next BIC summit will be hosted by the Northern Ireland Executive in June 2025.
