Channel Island Ministers to travel to France

04 June 2015

A delegation of senior politicians from Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey will travel to France tomorrow (5 June) for an annual summit with representatives from Lower Normandy and La Manche.

The annual summit, which will this year take place in Mont St Michel on 5 June, will for the first time involve the partner jurisdictions that signed a partnership agreement on 22 January, Jersey, Guernsey, the Regional Council of Lower Normandy and the County Council of La Manche, with Alderney and Sark holding associate membership. The delegations will be led by, Chief Minister Gorst of Jersey, Chief Minister Le Tocq of Guernsey, President Beauvais of Lower Normandy, and President Bas of the County Council of La Manche.

Areas for disussion

The discussions will focus on education, sport and culture, environment, commerce and strategy. This year following the inclusion of the additional two jurisdictions the format for the one-day talks has been extended to accommodate all signatory partners.

Jersey’s Chief Minister, Senator Gorst said “I am looking forward to what promises to be productive talks with our neighbours in France and Guernsey. The summit provides an opportunity for us to not only acknowledge the valued historic ties between our jurisdictions but to explore areas for future joint working. Our relationship with France has the potential to make a valuable contribution to the Island’s jobs and growth agenda and I look forward to exploring mutually beneficial opportunities with my fellow attendees.”

Guernsey’s Chief Minister, Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq said “It was an honour and a significant step forward to sign the cooperation agreement with the regional authorities in January. I am pleased that we have made this commitment to develop our ties with both France and Jersey, and that the first annual summit between partners comes within the first six months of signing the cooperation agreement. The summit will provide the opportunity to strengthen the historic relationship and cultural links with our closest neighbours and to discuss some of the areas of potential for joint working for the benefit of the economy and environment.”