Scotland Ireland Joint Bilateral Review communique: September 2024

Items and actions

On 6 September 2024, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence of Ireland, Micheál Martin, and the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson MSP, met for the third annual review meeting on implementation of the Ireland Scotland Joint Bilateral Review 2021-25.

Launched in January 2021, the Joint Bilateral Review provides a framework for cooperation across six thematic areas, where the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility. 

The Tánaiste and Cabinet Secretary Robertson reaffirmed both Governments’ shared ambition for a strong bilateral relationship. They reviewed substantive progress on the Review’s recommendations over the past year, noting in particular:

• the regular ministerial engagement between Scotland and Ireland, including between the Taoiseach and Scottish First Minister and ministerial programmes for respective national day visits
• significant policy engagement between Scottish and Irish officials in a number of areas, including child poverty, renewable energy, health, financial services, and prevention of violence against women and girls
• ongoing and extensive engagement by the Consulate General in Edinburgh, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, and the Scottish Government Office in Dublin, across all areas of the Joint Bilateral Review, to develop bilateral business, cultural and other links
• work on the establishment of an Enterprise Ireland office in Scotland; support for the Causeway Business Exchange, connecting businesses across Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland; and successful trade missions to Ireland in the sustainable healthcare and offshore wind sectors
• continuing successful participation of Irish artists at the Edinburgh festivals, an unrivalled, international cultural platform; as well as Scottish work supporting the revival of the Shinty Hurling International; promoting Scottish filmmaking in the Dublin International Film Festival; and partnerships between Dance Ireland and Dance Base Scotland
• the ongoing joint research partnership between the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Irish Academy, which supported projects this year on a regenerative tourism approach to rural community development, and support for deaf domestic abuse victims in rural areas
• work under Ireland’s Shared Island Fund to support Nature Scot’s Peatland Action programme on peatland and community engagement
• the event organised by the Consulate General in Edinburgh to showcase the shared links between Donegal and Harris Tweed in Scotland with Údarás na Gaeltachta, and the Donegal local enterprise office
• significant collaboration on renewable energy, including through the ‘Advancing the Offshore Wind Opportunity: Bridging Irish and Scottish Perspectives’ events in Dublin and Cork in June  

The meeting was also an opportunity for the Tánaiste and Cabinet Secretary Robertson to discuss latest political developments across Ireland and Scotland, and to welcome the upcoming British Irish Council Summit that will be held in Edinburgh in December.

Discussion also focussed on further strengthening the relationship between Ireland and Scotland, in particular through developing a new cooperative framework for the post-2025 period.  This aims to build on the successes of the Joint Bilateral Review.