The East–West Council was established in 2024 as part of the Northern Ireland Executive reformation with a purpose to improve links between Northern Ireland and rest of the United Kingdom.[1]

Purpose

According to the Government of the United Kingdom its missions include:[2]

  • Sharing "best practice" between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on economic inactivity and offering advisory support to implement "major projects"
  • Recommending interventions on east–west investment and assessing existing funding and investment strategies
  • Improving international investment to Northern Ireland
  • Bolstering east-west connectivity

History

The idea of forming an East-West Council was first proposed by Democratic Unionist Party Leader Jeffrey Donaldson in October 2023 as a prerequisite to restoring a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland. Donaldson hoped that the proposed body would “bring together representatives from across the United Kingdom”, on a “regular basis" to "discuss and collaborate on opportunities for enhanced co-operation”.[3] Plans for the council were outlined in a command paper published by the UK government in February 2024.[4] Devolved government was restored in Northern Ireland on 3 February 2024 when a first minister, deputy first minister and executive were nominated by the Northern Ireland Assembly. The East-West Council met for the first time on 26 March 2024 at Dover House in London.[5]

Membership

The council is made up of representatives from the UK central government, Northern Ireland Executive, business and civil society.[6] It was chaired by the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.[7]

Meetings

Overview of East-West Council meetings
Date Chair Statement
26 March 2024 Michael Gove [1]

References

See also

External links