Author: Elise Meerpoel

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.

 

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.

Jersey’s first female Chief Minister took office on Monday 11 July.

Deputy Kristina Moore is the first woman to lead the island’s government. This follows Island-wide elections that saw women win a record 21 of the 49 seats in the States Assembly, the island’s parliament.

Kristina has now formed a new government following Ministerial elections earlier this week, resulting in the Island’s first gender-balanced Council of Ministers.

With Jersey’s civil service already led by Suzanne Wylie, two of the most prominent positions in the island are now held by women.

Kristina has been involved in Jersey politics for 11 years and previously served as home affairs minister.

A 47-year-old former journalist, she grew up in North Devon and moved to Jersey in 2000 when she was offered a job in local television, before entering island politics in 2011.

As home affairs minister from 2014 to 2018 she set up an action plan to improve intervention in the first two years of a child’s life and oversaw reform of Jersey’s domestic abuse and sexual offences laws.

From 2018 to 2022 she chaired key parliamentary scrutiny committees which oversee the government’s work.

In 2013 she made her diagnosis of breast cancer public to raise awareness of the condition. Following treatment she made a full recovery.

An independent with no party affiliation, she was elected Chief Minister by the States Assembly in a vote last week.

She is married with two children.

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Suzanne Wylie has been Chief Executive of Jersey’s civil service since February 2022.

Originally from Northern Ireland, she served as Chief Executive of Belfast Council from 2014 to 2022 before moving to Jersey to take up her role on the island.

She began working for her local council in Belfast straight out of university in 1988.  At the time, she was one of only a few women working in an operational environment.

She later moved across local government, developing expertise in regeneration, capital programmes, economic development, health protection and customer services.

In her seven and a half years as Chief Executive of Belfast Council, she was policy adviser to eight diverse political parties and reshaped the organisation and its capability to deliver a 25-year plan.

She set up and led many stakeholder partnerships to ensure better targeting of resources to meet the needs of local people.  This included community safety, health improvement, business innovation, and family support.

She is married with three grown-up children.

Since the publication of Jersey’s cultural strategy at Spring time, a new start has been made to relaunch cultural links with France and work more closely on joint projects. To achieve this, officers from Jersey and Guernsey travelled to neighbouring Rennes to meet major cultural institutions, discuss respective approaches and visions, discover the work carried out, and consider future collaborations.

The technical aspect was ensured by the presence of Jersey Art House and Art for Guernsey, who were able to discover the opportunities with Rennes in terms of visual arts.

 

As part of the cooperation between the Department of Ille et Vilaine and the Guernsey Overseas Aid Commission on international solidarity, a charity from Ille et Vilaine, Youth and Development, opened its summer solidarity trip to Senegal to young Channel Islanders. The President of the association, Tahir THIAM, travelled to Guernsey and Jersey on 29 and 30 April to meet interested young people and their families, to present the stay and its solidarity missions.

During the three weeks, the aim is to allow each volunteer to take a step back from their family and professional situation and contribute to improving the living conditions of people with disabilities, working in the field of health, environmental education, social economy and coastal protection.

Mr Thiam was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the welcome from his hosts and considered this trip very beneficial “I would say that my meetings with the families, the young people and with Jersey Overseas Aid and Guernsey Overseas Aid have been very rich, motivating and breathe new life our desire to promote the international mobility of young people. »

Three young Channel Islanders are now registered to take part in this stay with four young Bretons. A trip, which beyond international solidarity, will allow to open up to other cultures and to lead a linguistic improvement (both for young Anglophones and Francophones!). The cohesion of the group has already started with frequent exchanges through a secured “chat” platform.

Next step is the trip early August, and its feedback in Ille et Vilaine and the Channel Islands by the then “ambassadors” to promote the initiative to potential participants of the future solidarity trips.