News
06 Oct 2017
Summit with Normandy and La Manche
Representatives from Jersey and Guernsey attended the annual political summit between the Channel Islands, the department of La Manche and the region of Normandy on 6th October 2017. The Chief Minister of Jersey, Senator Ian Gorst, the Member of the Policy & Resources Committee (Guernsey) with responsibility for External Relations, Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, and the Minister of Environment of Jersey, Deputy Steve Luce made an official visit to Caen. Guernsey and Jersey have a cooperation agreement with Normandy and La Manche to promote greater partnership working between the jurisdictions. Alderney and Sark are associate members of this agreement.
The delegation was welcomed to Caen by the President of the Normandy region, Hervé Morin, and the President of the departmental council of La Manche, Philippe Bas. They were joined by the Prefect of La Manche, Mr. Jean-Marc Sabathé, who represented the French State at the summit.
An update was provided on the various projects that have been carried out since the last summit in Jersey in 2016, including areas such tourism; cultural initiatives; educational links; and digital opportunities.
A number of joint artistic initiatives took place around archeological sites which resulted in a travelling exhibition which visited Jersey in September 2016 and Caen in July 2017. Jersey and Guernsey were also invited by Normandy to join a European cultural network to work alongside six other European countries on matters relating to the Second World War. The objective of this network is to discuss how to communicate the ‘duty of remembrance’ to future generations.
To support the existing educational links with Normandy, the Channel Islands are implementing a partnership agreement for apprenticeships in culinary arts. The main objective of is to stimulate students’ international mobility, improve their proficiency in French, and enable them to discover other cultures and working techniques in the course of their studies.
Other subjects of common interest were discussed such as emergency planning, immigration issues and energy.
Alongside the agenda items relating to the cooperation agreement, Brexit and its implications for the Channels Islands were also discussed.