sco, North South Meinisterlie Council , bgcolor = , fgcolor = , image = North-South_Ministerial_Council_logo.jpg , image_border = , size = , alt = Logo of the North/South Ministerial Council , caption = , map = , msize = , malt = , mcaption = , map2 = , abbreviation = NSMC , motto = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , type = Intergovernmental organisation , status =

British–Irish Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in N ...

, purpose = , headquarters =

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the ...

, Northern Ireland² , location = , coords = , region_served = Ireland , language = , general = , leader_title = , leader_name = , leader_title2 = , leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = , leader_name3 = , leader_title4 = , leader_name4 = , key_people = , main_organ = , parent_organization = , affiliations = , budget = , num_staff = , num_volunteers = , website = , remarks = ² This is the location of the standing Joint Secretariat of the North/South Ministerial Council. , former name = The North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) ( ga, An Chomhairle Aireachta Thuaidh-Theas, Ulster-Scots: ) is a body established under the Good Friday Agreement to co-ordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole island of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The Council takes the form of meetings between ministers from both the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

and is responsible for twelve policy areas. Six of these areas are the responsibility of corresponding North/South Implementation Bodies. The body is based in the city of

in Northern Ireland. The North/South Ministerial Council and the Northern Ireland Assembly are "mutually inter-dependent" institutions: one cannot exist without the other. When the Northern Ireland Assembly is suspended, responsibility for areas of co-operation fall to the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

Organisation

The Ministerial Council consists of representatives of both the Northern Ireland Executive and the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The govern ...

. The Ministerial Council may meet in either a plenary or, more commonly, sectoral format. In a plenary meeting a Northern Ireland delegation is led by the

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of '' ...

and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland while the Republic's delegation is led by the

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the of ...

and

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Tao ...

. A meeting in a sectoral format deals only with one particular policy area, and consists of the minister from Dublin with responsibility for the area under discussion, and two ministers from Northern Ireland (usually one unionist and one

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

), including the minister with the relevant competence. The council is supported by a standing joint secretariat, consisting of members of the civil services of both Northern Ireland and the Republic. The council also has occasional meetings in an "institutional" format to consider other business and technical matters, such as appointments to boards.

Areas for co-operation

The council is responsible for twelve "areas for co-operation". Six of these are in areas where co-operation must be agreed together but implemented separately in each jurisdiction. Six more are in areas where co-operation is agreed together and implemented through shared all-Ireland "implementation bodies". Areas for co-operation where implementation is carried out separately: * Agriculture:

Common Agricultural Policy The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Union. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It was introduced in 1962 and has since then undergone several changes to reduce the ...

issues, animal and plant health, agricultural research and rural development. * Education: Education for children with special needs, educational under-achievement, teacher qualifications and school, youth and teacher exchanges. * Environment: Environmental protection, pollution, water-quality management and waste management. * Health: Accident and emergency planning, co-operation on high-technology equipment, cancer research and health promotion. * Tourism: The promotion of the island of Ireland as a tourist destination for overseas visitors via the establishment of a new company, known as

Tourism Ireland Tourism Ireland (Irish: ''Turasóireacht Éireann''; Ulster-Scots: ''Tourism Airlan'' or ''Reengin Airlann'') is the marketing body responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas. Tourism Ireland was established as one of "six areas o ...

. * Transport: Co-operation on strategic transport planning including road and rail infrastructure and public transport services and road and rail safety. The six all-Ireland implementation bodies are: * Waterways Ireland: Management of specific and chiefly recreational inland waterways. * Food Safety Promotion Board: Food safety awareness. * Special European Union Programmes Body: Management and oversight of EU programmes and common chapters of the National Development Plan (

) and the Northern Ireland Structural Funds Plan. * The North/South Language Body: Promotion of the Irish and Ulster Scots languages through two separate agencies, Foras na Gaeilge (Irish) and Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch (Ulster Scots). * Inter''Trade''Ireland: all-Ireland trade and business development. *

Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission The Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission (FCILC) is a commission supervised by the North/South Ministerial Council with responsibility for two agencies which span the Irish border, namely the Loughs Agency and the Lights Agency. The FCI ...

: The management and development of Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough and coastal lights through two separate agencies, The Loughs Agency and Lights Agency Additional areas for co-operation may be added by agreement among the council and with the endorsement of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Oireachtas. Originally, a new jointly owned agency, Lights Agency, was intended to replace the Commissioners of Irish Lights, which is funded from the UK

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...

-managed General Lighthouse Fund to provide coastal aids to navigation throughout the island of Ireland. However, complexities arising from the transfer of functions have meant that this has had to be reconsidered.

Operation

Twenty-one plenary meetings were held between 1999 and 2015: one each year from 1999 to 2002, and 2007 to 2008; and on average two each year thereafter. Meetings alternate between north and south, usually in Armagh and Dublin. Sectoral meetings occur more frequently at various locations. The level of co-operation differs across areas. For example, co-operation on tourism proceeded very rapidly (creating Tourism Ireland in 2000). On the other hand, there was initially little co-operation in the area of transport. At first because of resistance from the relevant minister in Northern Ireland and later because, after the restoration of the Council following suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, because the British and Irish governments had already done much of the work during a period of direct rule. In 2007, the joint secretariat number 25 personnel, comprising 10 from Ireland and 15 from Northern Ireland. In 2010, the secretariat took up new, permanent office in Armagh. Budgets, staff numbers and headquarters for the six implementation bodies (including Tourism Ireland) in 2008 were as follows:

References

External links

North/South Ministerial Council
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:North South Ministerial Council Government of Northern Ireland Politics of the Republic of Ireland Ireland–United Kingdom relations 1999 establishments in Northern Ireland Organizations established in 1999 Northern Ireland peace process All-Ireland organisations Politics of Ireland *

Organisation

Areas for co-operation

Operation

See also

References

External links