About COTI

The Cities of the Isles (COTI) network grew out of the Irish Sea Partnership (ISP) which was established in 1998. The ISP involved Belfast, Dublin and Liverpool, three Celtic cities seperated by a narrow strip of water.

The Irish Sea Partnership was a platform which brought these cities together annually to consider issues of mutual interest relating to regeneration and economic development. The first conference was held in 1998 and the following year Glasgow joined the partnership at the event held in Belfast.

In March 2000 the chief executives of Dublin, Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow indicated their aspiration to establish a formal grouping to shadow the agenda established by the Council of the Isles following the Good Friday Agreement. Rather than establish a parallel network it was agreed to invite the Welsh and Scottish capital cities to join the ISP which assumed the title, Cities Of the Isles (COTI).

The agreed objectives of this network were to:

Facilitate co-operation amongst member authories on mutual issues of concern
Disseminate information and exchange of experience on mutual issues, policies, programmes and legislation and to promote a common approach where appropriate
Raise the profile and influence of member authorities
Seek to influence the development and implementation of European policies, programmes and legislation
Develop joint projects to address mutual issues
Support and Present the city perspective to the Council of the Isles

In practical terms, apart from the networking opportunities it has provided, for both officials and councillors, the main element of COTI has been the Annual Summit, (the venue for which rotates between the cities) where a specific theme is chosen and the cities exchange their experiences and best practices. This network is also quite unique in that the six cities are connected by bonds of history, kinship and shared experience.