We are delighted to present the British-Irish Council (BIC) Annual Report for 2025/26, which covers the period from April 2025 to March 2026. The Council’s mission under the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement remains crucial: To that end, BIC Member Administrations have met frequently over the past year, in different formats and settings, against a wider global backdrop of continued rapid technological change and ongoing cost of living challenges.

As ever, the two main highlights of the BIC calendar were the bi-annual Summit meetings; the first in Newcastle, Co. Down in June, which focussed on the role of AI in transforming public services, and the second in the Vale of Glamorgan, which focussed on the importance of the creative industries to the economies and cultural identities of these islands.

Outside of the Summits, there were a significant number of productive engagements at the work sector level, including four ministerial meetings: Transport (April, Belfast), Environment (May, London), Early Years (November, virtual) and Energy (February, London).

These ministerial engagements provide important spaces for in-person meetings on a bilateral and multilateral basis, as well as lending direction and momentum to the Council’s work.

At the official-level, a vast range of site visits, online workshops and webinars took place, covering topics from the early years, to transport, to housing and to the creative industries. Two highlights in particular standout: a symposium in Edinburgh last May, which looked at the role of social enterprises in contributing to the green transition, and an exchange programme for young language creatives, which came to fruition as a result of the BIC’s established partnership with the Celtic Media Festival. All of this – and more – is set out below!

We would like to place on record our immense gratitude to all ministers, officials, and partners from across these islands who have worked with us over the past year in support of the BIC’s mission. On behalf of the entire Secretariat team, we look forward to working with you all in the year ahead, a year which marks the 20th anniversary of the 2006 St Andrews Agreement.