TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen said the British-Irish Council would provide a useful forum in the months ahead for the co-ordination of ideas and policies aimed at alleviating the effects of the credit crunch in each of the jurisdictions represented on the council.
The official communique highlighted a number of areas of work to be further addressed in time for the next Council meeting in Cardiff in February. The council noted progress on demographic issues, particularly the impact of worker migration, and the effects of an ageing population structure and student flows.
The Northern Ireland delegation, headed by First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, proposed to take the lead in the dissemination of research on migrant worker issues.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who chaired the council, offered to lead a new programme of work on energy generation from renewable sources and the interconnectivity of electricity supply in all regions.
Mr Salmond is keen to discuss further plans for a common electricity transmission line across the Irish Sea and to harness further the potential of renewable energy sources, particularly in the marine area.
Members also discussed the establishment of a shared standing secretariat and narrowed to four the possible locations for such a body.
Scotland has offered to house a secretariat, in addition to Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Wales.
Unionists at Stormont are particularly keen that the workload and the standing of the British-Irish Council be expanded and for a new standing secretariat to be based in Northern Ireland.
Other topics discussed included, housing, the misuse of drugs, health, tourism and transport.
Mr Salmond, in his capacity as chairman of the summit, invited formal invitations to next year’s planned Homecoming Scotland – a year-long series of cultural events and celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of poet Robert Burns.