Author: Elise Meerpoel

At the invitation of Hervé Morin, President of Normandy, Sir Philip Bailhache and Jonathan LeTocq attended the first prefiguration forum dedicated to Peace. The objective was to gather as many ideas as possible to be able to organize a true Peace Forum in 2018.

With the D-Day Landing Beaches and the Caen Memorial, Normandy is home to iconic locations that regularly host Heads of State and of Government from around the world to commemorate the liberation of Europe and the return to peace.

While Normandy is working to promote peace through its decentralised cooperation efforts, it can also act as the key region for discussing the peace situation around the world in the same way that Davos is the site of debates on economic issues.

It has therefore been suggested that a World Peace Forum should be held every year in Caen in parallel with the D-Day Landing commemorations.

The Channel islands Ministers were pleased to provide Normandy with the support of Guernsey and Jersey to this initiative for Peace.

 

On 22 March, BIAN attended Seanergy in le Havre on behalf of CIMREG (Channel Islands Marine Renewable Energy Group). The objective was to meet French companies and institutions (primarily Normandy) in order to identify ways to work with Normandy on this particular topic. Some action points have been identified and are currently being discussed.

 

On Saturday March 18th Guernsey has welcomed teams and individuals including Soyhuce, a company from Normandy to the Digital Greenhouse to take part in a one day Ideas Hackathon. The workshop posed the challenge; “How can technology promote the Island to visiting cruise liner passengers?”

This day-long event saw teams participate to explore a defined challenge. Rather than a traditional hackathon, in which teams develop code/solutions, this workshop uses HPES tools and business modeling to take you through the stages of idea creation, collaboration and generation of mock-ups of your digital concepts. Therefore, this workshop is a valuable exercise for those interested in how we solve big problems, how technology can drive change and those who wish to learn ways to take an idea from a concept to business model.

In 2016 Guernsey welcomed over 130,000 visitors from cruise liners. This challenge is to take innovative thinking and digital technology to find solutions that promote Guernsey to these visitors, for the benefit of our Island’s economy. You will be asked to consider the benefits for both visitors and local businesses/suppliers/stakeholders in your solution, as well as propose a business model that can support the project.

It was the first time that Guernsey Digital Greenhouse hosts a French company in their event and wishes to attract even more in the future. This reflects the good cooperation between Guernsey and Normandy digital sectors.

   

With the objective to offer an alternative option to UK universities for Jersey students to become bilingual by studying in France post A-Level, the University of Caen attended the Higher Education Fair in Jersey on 9 March. They presented all types of studies that the University can offer from business to languages, arts and medicine but the University particularly excels in History.

We also had the pleasure to welcome the EESAB (Ecole Européenne Supérieure d’Arts de Bretagne) from Rennes on board the fair for the first time this year. They presented their broad spectrum of arts studies available to all students from Europe and elsewhere in the world.

 

Since 2014, Jersey has been working in partnership with the Departmental Council of La Manche to share La Manche stand at the Agricultural Show in Paris (SIA).

The objective of Jersey presence is to promote Jersey’s agricultural industry and products at a key event in France’s agricultural calendar that welcomes around 700,000 visitors/year as well as to endorse the island as a holiday destination. The event is an opportunity to build up contacts and tourists database and to demonstrate the Island’s close links with Normandy and providing a platform for further mutually beneficial engagement.

This year, we were concentrating on the Big 4 – Jersey Lobster, Jersey Oyster, Jersey Royals and Jersey Dairy – a special Genuine Jersey brochure in French focusses on these and was issued and distributed on the stand as well as a “win a holiday” competition put together by Visit Jersey.

This successful experience allows the island to promote itself in France at so many levels thanks to the opportunity provided by the Department of La Manche.

 

A team from the University of Caen will come to Jersey on 9 February to present to the parents and pupils of high school the possibility of high studies in Caen, an alternative to the British universities and a door open on France. An initiative strongly supported by the Minister of Education of Jersey. More information here.

A Channel delegation delegation came to Caen on 8 November to meet with the management and teachers of the ICEP CFA. After a visit of the site to better understand the disciplines taught, discussions were held on the possible ways of cooperation in the apprenticeship, with a focus on the catering. A visit deemed very interesting, facilitated by the Chamber of Commerce of Caen, and in the presence of the Normandy Region, which should lead to a concrete exchange project in 2018.

The French Ambassador, HE Mrs Sylvie Bermann, visited Guernsey on 18-19 October. This was the Ambassador’s first official visit to Guernsey since her appointment as French Ambassador to the UK in August 2014.

The visit of the French Ambassador included various meetings, commemorations and cultural activities. The Ambassador met with Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq and members from the Committees for Economic Development, Home Affairs, and Education, Sport & Culture, as well as representatives from Sark and Alderney, during which issues such as tax and maritime matters were discussed.

The Ambassador also presented the Légion d’honneur to a local D Day veteran during a presentation hosted by HE Sir Ian Corder. This was followed by a short commemoration ceremony at the Smith Street War Memorial to mark the Battle of Verdun and remember the local soldiers, both British and French citizens, who fought in France during the Great War. Her visit also included a short meeting with the Préfet Maritime of Cherbourg who was visiting Guernsey on the same day around other specific maritime matters.

   

The Préfet Maritime of the North and Channel Sea (based in Cherbourg) visited the Channel Islands on 17 and 18 October 2016. The objective was to develop regular and sustainable contacts with the emergency services of the Channel Islands and cooperate better on safety operations and exercises at sea. Admiral Ausseur was hosted by the Harbourmasters of Jersey and Guernsey. He also met with the Ministers for External Affairs and Home Affairs Ministers of each island.

 

The President of the Normandy Region, Hervé Morin, and the President of La Manche, Philippe Bas, made an official visit to the Channel Islands on 15 and 16 September 2016.

On 15 September, they spent the day in Guernsey, where they met with the Bailiff, the Chief Minister and members of the business community. The following day, the delegation (including representatives of the States of Guernsey) visited Jersey to attend an annual summit. The summit explored opportunities for partnership between the four jurisdictions (Jersey, Guernsey, La Manche and the Normandy Region), as agreed in the cooperation agreement that was signed in Normandy last year.

The delegation was welcomed to Jersey by the Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, and they were also joined by the Prefect of La Manche, Mr. Jacques Witkowski, who represented the French State at the summit. Representative of the Chief Pleas of Sark, associate member of the agreement, also attended.

Since the inaugural summit in Mont Saint Michel last year, there have been elections in Normandy and Guernsey. This year’s summit will therefore serve as a formal welcome to the President of Normandy, Hervé Morin, the President of La Manche, Philippe Bas, and Guernsey’s Chief Minister, Deputy Gavin St Pier.

An action plan was also presented, proposing joint projects in higher education, academic exchanges, culture, environment (including marine renewable energy), tourism and other areas of the economy.

A signing ceremony to renew the cooperation agreement between the four parties and extend it to a larger scale in Normandy concluded the meeting.