Author: Elise Meerpoel

Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy region, visited the French Embassy in London. This visit aims to strengthen the historical and cultural ties that unite Normandy and England, initiate cooperation projects in view of the celebrations organized by the Region for the thousandth anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror in 2027 but also promote the next edition of the Normandy Impressionist Festival which will take place from 22 March to 22 September 2024 throughout Normandy.

Hervé Morin had invited his Jersey partners and was thus able to meet the Assistant Chief Minister (also Minister of Economic Development in charge of Culture), and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to reaffirm the wish to continue our cultural cooperation, and to discuss perspectives of joint projects to be carried out.

Guernsey has hosted the annual political summit with the departmental council of la Manche, the regional council of Normandy and Jersey.

The annual summit has been held since 2015, when a cooperation agreement was signed between Jersey, Guernsey, La Manche, and the then region of Lower Normandy. As part of the cooperation agreement, representatives from each jurisdiction meet each year to explore how they can work together.

During the summit, discussions covered various topics including post-Brexit issues such as fishing, customs & immigration matters; marine renewable energies; emergency planning; cultural links, such as language and education; and connectivity. Consideration was also given to broader political relationships and areas of mutual interest within Europe and the EU.

At the summit meeting Guernsey was represented by Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, member of the Policy and Resources Committee with responsibility for external relations; Deputy Neil Inder, President of the Committee for Economic Development; Deputy Rob Prow, President of the Committee for Home Affairs; Deputy Lindsay De Sausmarez, President of the Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure; and Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture.

Jersey was represented by the Deputy Chief Minister, Deputy Kirsten Morel; Deputy Helen Miles, Minister for Home Affairs; and Deputy Jonathan Renouf, Minister for Environment.

The departmental council of La Manche was represented by its President, Jean Morin; the regional council of Normandy was represented by its Vice President, François-Xavier Priollaud in charge of international relations; and the Préfecture of La Manche, representing the French State in the region, was represented by the Prefect Xavier Brunetière and his Deputy Prefect Stéphanie Petitjean.

 

The French Department of Ille-et-Vilaine (St Malo/Rennes area) is offering a priority opportunity for one young person aged 18-25 from the Channel Islands to volunteer for the French civic service programme ahead of the Paris Olympics. The priority for the Channel Islands is only open until 15 August, after which time the opportunity will be opened more widely across the French Department of Ille-et-Vilaine.  The successful candidate will contribute to the organisation of sporting events in the region from November 2023 to June 2024, ahead of the Olympic Games next July.   The opportunity – organised and run in its entirety by the French Department of Ille-et-Vilaine – forms part of the Government of Jersey’s and States of Guernsey’s work to improve sporting ties with France.   The volunteer will be hosted by the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee (CDOS) of Ille et Vilaine ( http://www.le-sport35.com/ )   Criteria and conditions:

• The assignment is for a period of 8 months from November 2023 until the end of June 2024
• Open to any Channel Islander aged 18-25, passionate about sport. Applicants should practice sport (any, no restriction) and do not necessarily need to study it
• Fluency in French to be able to communicate is essential
• Volunteers will be accommodated in a youth residence (ex: Foyer de jeunes travailleurs, in a single room)
• The volunteer will also receive a civic service allowance of €489.59/month
• The volunteer will have to ask for a long stay French visa, which costs €99

Please find below a description of last year’s programme (in French): MISSION SERVICE CIVIQUE – CDOS 35 If anyone would like to apply or needs more information, they should contact: Sandrine Douaran (Chargée de mission Education, Citoyenneté, Olympisme) at sandrinedouaran@franceolympique.com .

 

On 15 June 2023 in Caen, the partnership agreement between Jersey Heritage, Guernsey Museums & Galleries and the Fabrique de Patrimoines was renewed for five years. The three structures have been joined by the Société Jersiaise, which is joining this partnership for the first time.

The cooperation was initially formalized in 2018 in Guernsey in order to facilitate communication and exchanges between the museums of the Normandy Museums Network and the Jersey and Guernsey museums. The Channel Islands being intimately linked to Normandy through their history, their archaeological, maritime and legal heritage – Norman customary law still being partly in force in the Channel Islands – formalized cultural cooperation was therefore obvious.

After several attempts of meetings aborted due to the pandemic, the representatives of the four structures were able to visit the Château de Caen, the Normandy Museum and the Bayeux Tapestry. This was followed by a visit to the Pegasus Memorial and the Pegasus Bridge, which after being damaged during the bombings of 1944, was temporarily replaced by a “Bailey” bridge, built by British soldiers, and in particular the famous Clive Kemp, a young Jersey soldier who had lied about his age to be able to go to fight and whose ashes now lie since 2019 at the foot of this bridge. They had landed in Sword Beach on the very morning of 6 June 1944 with the primary mission of building parallel temporary bridges to all the bridges that would be destroyed.

The delegation’s visit ended this Friday in Saint Vaast-La-Hougue, on the island of Tatihou.

The agreement was signed by the director of the Fabrique de Patrimoines, Carine Lavocat, the director of Guernsey Museums & Galleries, Helen Glencross as well as the director of Jersey Heritage, Jon Carter and the president of the Jersey Society, Rebecca Bailhache. It is the direct result of cooperation between the Normandy region, the Manche department, the Government of Jersey and the States of Guernsey.

Helen Glencross, Director of Guernsey Museums & Galleries said: “Guernsey Museums is delighted to be renewing our membership of the Normandy Museums Network. We welcome this exciting cultural collaboration and look forward to working with our partners in the future to celebrate our shared heritage”.

Jon Carter, director of Jersey Heritage, also rejoiced: “Heritage is sometimes about what is unique and distinctive about a place – more often it is about common ground, the stories we share and the identities that bring us together. The shared heritage of the Anglo-Norman Islands and the region of the Normano-Breton Gulf is exceptionally deep.  This cultural relationship goes back a very long way – but equally, it is vibrant and growing today. There are many opportunities to explore the shared cultural inheritance and we very much look forward to continuing to work with the Fabrique du Patrimoine network and Norman museum colleagues through this partnership.”

The president of the Jersey Society, Rebecca Bailhache was also delighted with the signing of the agreement: “The Société Jersiaise is delighted to sign this partnership agreement with La Fabrique, and we are keen to develop links with Normandy. We are fortunate to have links with France through our field archaeologist, librarian and photo archivist, so we see many opportunities for collaboration. We are also grateful to BIAN (Bureau of the Channel Islands) for organizing this alliance. »

For Carine Lavocat, temporary director of the Fabrique de patrimoines in Normandy: “We are enthusiastic about renewing this partnership with the heritage stakeholders of the Channel Islands. The Fabrique de Patrimoines is committed to facilitating cooperation between the museums of Normandy and the heritage actors of the Channel Islands, in line with the wishes of the network’s museum members. The signature of the convention and this first meeting between museums will allow, we hope, other actions of cultural cooperation between our territories.”

Guernsey has hosted the annual political summit with the departmental council of Ille-et- Vilaine, and for the first time has hosted a meeting with the regional council of Brittany.

During the summit, the governments of Guernsey and Jersey renewed their partnership (Memorandum of Understanding) with the departmental council of Ille et Vilaine for another three years. Jersey has enjoyed fifteen years of joint working with the departmental council and Guernsey officially joined the partnership in 2017. The Memorandum of Understanding facilitates joint working in a number of areas, including education, youth mobility, culture, arts, overseas aid, transport and trade.

Guernsey and Jersey have also signed for the first time a Memorandum of Understanding with the region of Brittany. This partnership will open discussions on economic development issues, education, and training, as well as maritime links encompassing transport, tourism, and relationships between ports and marine renewable energies.

The meetings covered many regional issues, as well as enabling discussions with regional partners on strategic issues such as broader political relationships and areas of mutual interest within Europe and the EU.

At the meetings Guernsey was represented by Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, member of the Policy and Resources Committee with responsibility for external relations; Jersey was represented by the Chief Minister, Deputy Kristina Moore, and Minister for External Relations, Deputy Philip Ozouf; the departmental council of Ille et Vilaine was represented by Michèle Motel, departmental councillor responsible for international solidarity and cooperation; the regional council of Brittany was represented by its Vice President, Daniel Cueff; and the Préfecture of Brittany, representing the French State in the region, was represented by diplomatic advisor Jean-Baptiste Chauvin.

Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, member of the Policy & Resources Committee in Guernsey with responsibility for external relations, said:

 “It was a great pleasure to host the annual summit of the governments of Guernsey and Jersey and the authorities of Ille et Vilaine, and to welcome representatives from the regional council of Brittany who joined these engagements for the first time.

Guernsey has important existing social and cultural links with the department of Ille et Vilaine and our annual summit gives us an opportunity to review the constructive and varied work carried out by our jurisdictions together during the year on matters covered by our partnership. Renewing this partnership for a further three years further underlines the value we place on maintaining and strengthening our relationship with the department. The summit also enabled us to reaffirm Guernsey’s continued support for joint overseas aid projects, through the collaboration of the Overseas Aid & Development Commission and the department of Ille et Vilaine.

I was also pleased to be able to sign a new partnership with the regional council of Brittany, which will enable us to deepen the connections that we have with the whole of this significant region to the south of us. In the French political system regions have different mandates and responsibilities to departments and so this new partnership will enable us to focus on new areas as well as build on our existing links, working with some of our closest neighbours. I look forward to the further development of projects under this cooperation agreement to the benefit of us all.”

 

Deputy Kristina Moore, Chief Minister of Jersey said:

 “I was very pleased to join our French colleagues in Guernsey for a Summit with the Department of Ille et Vilaine and the Region of Brittany, alongside the Minister for External Relations.

 “We spoke about several thematic issues of mutual interest, including maritime links, sport, and culture. We also renewed our existing partnership agreement with the Department and formalised links with the Regional of Brittany through the signing of a new agreement.

 “As a government we are determined to work together with our French counterparts to find positive outcomes for us all.”

 

Deputy Philip Ozouf, Minister for External Relations of Jersey said:

“I was very pleased to travel to Guernsey for the annual summit of the governments of Jersey and Guernsey and the Department of Ille et Vilaine, and for the first time to meet with partners from the regional council of Brittany.

  Jersey has a close and productive relationship with our cousins in Ille et Vilaine based on our shared history and personal connections. Since we entered into this more formal partnership, we have seen an increase in activity and projects across areas including culture and education. The fact that we are renewing our partnership is testimony to the enduring nature of our links and I look forward to working together on projects over the next three years.

  For the first time we signed a new partnership with the regional council of Brittany, which can only strengthen our existing relationships. I am excited about the opportunities that this will lead to for future collaboration. Our regional links with Brittany are very important to us and formalising this can only make our connection stronger.”

 

Jean Luc Chenut, President of the departmental council of Ille et Vilaine said:

 “It is with pleasure that I am alongside our partners in Jersey and Guernsey who do us the honour of welcoming us on the occasion of the annual cooperation meeting between our Department and the two Bailiwicks.

This is an opportunity for us to renew the partnership which materializes the friendship and close relations between our jurisdictions. The new cooperation agreement will give new impetus to the long-standing links between Ille-et-Vilaine and the Channel Islands on various themes: education, tourism, international solidarity and the environment in particular.

I am very attached to this collaboration and I wish to ensure the strengthening of these close and sharing ties that contribute to the enrichment of our respective jurisdictions over the long term.”

 

Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of the regional council of Brittany said:

“While Brexit could have divided us, it has instead helped to bring the Channel Islands becoming closer to Brittany and Normandy. I thank our partners in Jersey and Guernsey for having favoured the path of dialogue and cooperation. I am convinced that this path will best defend the interest of all our citizens.”

 The President of La Manche, Jean Morin, has visited Guernsey this week on his first formal visit to the island since being elected President of the departmental council in July 2021. The visit provided an opportunity to discuss a range of topics of mutual interest, with a particular focus on environmental matters including energy, climate change, and active travel.

Guernsey has a strong relationship with Normandy and in particular the departmental council of La Manche. This is formalised through a cooperation agreement with Normandy, La Manche and Jersey, which covers four priority areas: governmental links; economic development, tourism and transport; education, sports, culture and heritage; and environment and marine renewable energy. Alderney and Sark are associate members of this agreement.

During the visit President Morin met with Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, Policy & Resources Committee member with responsibility for external relations, and Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, as well as officers from the States of Guernsey and representatives of Guernsey Electricity. Discussions covered Guernsey and La Manche’s respective responses to climate change, energy generation and interconnectors, and active travel. The President was also able to see the ‘School Street’ initiative at St Martin’s Primary School and have a demonstration of the ‘Walking Cycling Guernsey’ app, which was released in 2019 to make information on Ruettes Tranquilles easily accessible to those out and about across the Island.

 

On 19 December, the Jersey Minister for External Relations, Deputy Philip Ozouf, met with the French Minister of State for Europe, Ms. Laurence Boone, and the French Secretary of State for the Sea, Mr. Hervé Berville in Paris. The meeting – which was held at the Ministry for Europe & Foreign Affairs – focused on a range of mutual areas of interest, including fisheries; energy cooperation; inbound travel arrangements for French visitors; tourism; trade; education; and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Upon his return to the Island, the Minister commented: “It was great to meet with Ms. Boone and Mr. Berville in Paris. This is a meeting I have been eager to have, as there are several areas on which further discussions were useful – notably fisheries and the ongoing challenges faced by French nationals wishing to visit the Island. “Having the opportunity to discuss these matters in person, face-to-face, is invaluable. We made progress on several matters that may not have been possible otherwise. I would also like to thank the British Embassy in Paris for their continued support. “Strengthening and developing our relations with France, across a range of different sectors and areas of mutual interest, is a core objective within our new Common Policy for External Relations. It is also of great personal importance too. “I am looking forward to building upon what we have achieved so far and continuing our efforts into the New Year”. Nb: It meant to be a pan island visit to Paris but the Guernsey Minister was unfortunately unable to travel and was represented by officers.

The annual Summit of the Channel Islands, the Manche department and the Normandy region, which has been held since 2015 alternately in the Channel Islands and Normandy, is taking place this year in Caen at the Abbaye aux Dames, one of the jewels of Norman heritage and headquarters of the Regional Council of Normandy.

Jonathan Le Tocq and Philip Ozouf, Ministers of External Relations of Guernsey and Jersey were able to discuss with their host Hervé Morin, President of Normandy, and Jean Morin President of the Manche department. The Jersey Chief Minister Kristina Moore et Ian Carter, States Member of the States of Alderney joined the discussion by video conference.

The 2022 agenda of this strategic meeting focused on three main issues that affect all parties: the consequences of Brexit and its impact on mobility, trade and fisheries; general bilateral relations in terms of education, culture, sport and trade; and the consequences of climate change on coastal areas, common issues to our territories. This last subject was the topic of an afternoon visit to the wave canals at the Builders for Society engineering school in Epron and the breakwater equipped with bio-sourced concrete blocks from the CHERLOC project in Ouistreham.

The summit was also an opportunity to present an annual review of regional cooperation in terms of education, culture, trade, tourism and other projects related to this partnership.

Finally, it marked the renewal of the cooperation agreement for another three years, confirming the continued desire of all parties to work closely together in areas of mutual interest.

A Channel Islands delegation composed of the Ministers of External Relations of Jersey and Guernsey (respectively Deputy Philip Ozouf and Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq) and the Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture of Jersey (Deputy Kirsten Morel) visited Rennes on 18 October.

In a post-Brexit world, the islands want to rebuild trust and reaffirm long-standing ties in a wide range of areas, including culture, economy, tourism and education.

In the field of art and culture, the Jersey government’s 2022-27 strategy recognizes the need to develop much stronger cultural relations and artistic exchanges with European countries, and with France in particular.

Rennes is a dynamic city rich in artistic and cultural experiences. The purpose of this visit was mainly to meet Breton cultural institutions with a view to discussing respective approaches and visions, to consider future collaborations, and to meet historical partners.

The day began with a visit to the cultural centre Les Champs Libres, which fully meets the objectives identified in Jersey’s cultural strategy and which could become an inspiring model for the future cultural centre of Jersey. It was followed by a visit to the Rennes Opera as part of the Opera on screens operation, of which Jersey and Guernsey have been partners for many years. An inspiring encounter, the opera implementing innovative actions throughout the year to open up culture to various audiences. A visit to the Ateliers du Vent provided an opportunity to discover this place of creation which echoes the work of Art House Jersey and Guernsey Arts Commission in favour of artists and local creation, and to consider joint projects between Channel Islands and French artists in residence.

Throughout the day, the ministers also met with representatives of the Regional Council of Brittany to present the new government of Jersey and develop concrete actions in areas such as transport, yachting and tourism. In addition, a meeting with the department of Ille et Vilaine also took place within the framework of the cooperation already established with the Department for many years, and with which new avenues of cooperation in terms of culture have been identified.