About Us
The Agreement provided that at least 12 subject areas would be identified for co-operation and implementation for mutual benefit under the aegis of the Council. Co-operation in these areas would be implemented in two ways - in the case of at least six of them by means of existing bodies in each jurisdiction separately (also commonly referred to as the Areas for Co-operation), and in the case of at least six others by means of new North/South Implementation Bodies (also commonly referred to as the North/South Bodies) operating at a cross-border or all-island level.
The six Areas identified as those in which co-operation would be taken forward by the new North/South Bodies, were as follows:
- Food Safety
- Folye, Carling and Irish Lights Commission (FCILC) Sector
- Inland Waterways
- Language (Irish and Ulster-Scots)
- Special EU Programmes
- Trade and Business Development
Aspects of six other Areas, listed below, were identified as those in which co-operation would be taken forward by existing Bodies in each jurisdiction separately.
Joint Secretariat
The North/South Ministerial Council is supported by a standing Joint Secretariat which is based in Armagh. The Secretariat is staffed by personnel from the Irish Civil Service and the Northern Ireland Civil Service
The Formats of Council Meetings
The NSMC meets in a number of Formats. It meets in Plenary Format, with the Northern Ireland Administration delegation led by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the Irish Government delegation led by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. The task of the Plenary is to take an overview of co-operation on the island and of the North/South institutions.
The NSMC also meets in Sectoral Format to oversee co-operation in the agreed 12 Areas or Sectors. The NSMC meets regularly in relation to each of the 12 Sectors. At these meetings, the Irish Government side is represented by the Minister responsible for that Sector, while the Northern Ireland Administration is represented by two Ministers nominated by the First Minster and Deputy First Minister on a cross-community basis, one normally being the Minister with responsibility for that Sector within the Administration. This is in line with the requirements of the Agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998 that participation by the Administration in the NSMC must be on a cross-community basis.
The Agreement also provided for the NSMC to meet in Institutional Format to consider institutional and cross-sectoral issues, including in relation to the EU and to resolve any disagreements.
All NSMC decisions are by agreement between the two sides in the Council.