British–Irish Council

The British–Irish Council (BIC) is an international organisation established under the Belfast Agreement in 1998, and formally established on 2 December 1999 on the entry into force of the consequent legislation. Its membership comprises representatives from the governments of Ireland; the United Kingdom; three of the four countries of the UK (Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales); and three British Crown dependencies: Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey. Because England does not have a devolved government, it is not represented on the Council as a separate entity. It has been agreed that the BIC standing secretariat was to be located in Scotland.