What are the north-south and east-west institutions?

No less than seven north-south and east-west political institutions are currently in operation, with all but one established under the Good Friday Agreement. eolas Magazine examines the remit of these bodies.

When referring to the North and to UK-Ireland relations, one often hears reference to the phrases ‘strand two’ and ‘strand three’. The Good Friday Agreement is focused on enhancing community relations and advancing reconciliation, including between communities in the North, communities on an all-island basis, and relations between the British people and the Irish people.

These three strands are the strands of reconciliation, with strand one referring to intra-Northern relations, strand two focused on all-island (i.e. north-south) relations, and strand three referring to UK-Ireland (i.e. east-west) relations.