Taoiseach attends British Irish Council Summit
The Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD will today, Monday, attend the British Irish Council (BIC) Summit being hosted by the Isle of Man. The Taoiseach will be accompanied by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan TD.
The main focus of the Summit will be a discussion by member Administrations on developments in their respective economies and on actions being taken across all the Administrations to tackle the current challenges including, public finances, the banking systems and employment creation.
The Taoiseach will give an overview of recent developments in the Irish economy and outline Ireland's path to economic recovery, including the 4 Year National Recovery Plan, the 2011 Budget and the programme of external financial support recently negotiated with the European Commission, the IMF and the ECB.
Referring to the close links between the economies of these islands the Taoiseach said
"We are major trading partners and there is a strong interdependence between our markets. The challenges faced are global and the Irish Government is committed to playing its part in a global recovery".
The second major theme of the Summit is Digital Inclusion, one of 11 work streams being progressed under the BIC.
Progress towards the establishment of a Standing Secretariat of the BIC to be located in Edinburgh, as agreed at the previous BIC Summit in June, will also be discussed.
A Communiqué will issue from the BIC at the conclusion of the Summit.
The BIC was established under the Good Friday Agreement to promote the special relationships between the eight Member Administrations in these islands. The Isle of Man Summit will be the fifteenth to be held since its inaugural meeting of the BIC in 1999.
ENDS