25 August 2010
The States of Guernsey and the States of Jersey are looking for high-calibre people to represent the Channel Islands in Europe.
They will shortly be advertising the posts of Director of European Affairs and European Affairs Adviser, both of whom will operate from the new Channel Islands Brussels office, which is due to open in September.
The Director of European Affairs will be the Islands’ senior representative in Europe, and the head of the Brussels office, working to develop the Channel Islands’ influence, advising the Islands’ governments on European matters, and supporting engagement with business and industry. The European Affairs Adviser will support the Director of European Affairs in developing the influence and profile of the Channel Islands in Brussels, and will provide Guernsey and Jersey’s governments with research and analysis of European issues.
Jersey’s Chief Minister, Senator Terry Le Sueur, said “These roles provide a unique opportunity to shape European engagement for the Channel Islands. By combining resources, we can establish a small but effective office to represent both our interests. Since the EU interests of the Islands are well aligned, we can achieve more influence by working together.
“The people appointed will work closely with government, regulators and, through the Islands’ governments, business and industry to ensure that the EU Institutions and key European governments can gain a better understanding of the Channel Islands.”
The States of Guernsey and the States of Jersey have been working together to establish the Brussels office in order to strengthen links with Europe.
The work of the EU is very important to the Channel Islands. Jersey and Guernsey are significant international finance centres and, along with their trading partners in the City of London and elsewhere, are likely to be affected by EU reform of financial markets regulation. They also form part of the EU customs territory and can be considered within the EU for free trade in agricultural products. In addition, the Channel Islands’ airspace and territorial seas are surrounded by EU regulated airspace and EU waters.
Guernsey’s Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Trott, said “Guernsey and Jersey’s domestic success is dependent on its ability to engage and trade with the rest of the world. Therefore, Brussels, as the administrative centre of Europe, and a global hub for business and politics, is where we need to be and where we need to engage.”
The 2 post-holders will be responsible for ensuring that the Channel Islands are kept informed of developments in Europe, and that their interests are communicated. They will also represent and advise the Channel Islands on broader international issues, including non-EU matters.
Advertisements for the posts are available on the Guernsey and Jersey government websites and will appear in the Jersey Evening Post on 26 August, the Guernsey Evening Post on 28 August, The Times’ website on 29 August and in the Sunday Times on 5 September, as well as key Brussels publications.
gov.je