Author: Maëllie GERNIDOS

Four French Members of Parliament have been welcomed to Guernsey for a visit focused on strengthening the island’s relationship with France and providing parliamentarians with a greater understanding of Guernsey’s priorities and current policy developments. The visit enabled discussions on Guernsey’s Marine Spatial Plan, energy projects, Millenium 2027 and connectivity which resulted in positive engagement with French Députés.

The visiting delegation were Député Philippe Gosselin, Député Bertrand Sorre, Député Stéphane Travert (former Minister for Agriculture) and Députée Claudia Rouaux. All are members of the French National Assembly’s study group for the Channel Islands, which works to develop and maintain relationships between the French Parliament and the islands.

Three of the Members of Parliament come from Normandy and one from Brittany, which shows how important neighbouring relationships with France are, including how they are reflected at the National Assembly. The French parliamentarians were welcomed by Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, together with Deputies Steve Falla, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, Paul Montague, Chris Blin and Sally Rochester.

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of the Committee for Policy & Resources, said: “Guernsey’s relationship with France is one of great importance and this visit provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen our links with elected representatives from neighbouring regions. Our discussions covered a number of significant issues – from the sustainable management of our marine environment and future energy opportunities to connectivity and preparations for Millennium 2027 celebrating a thousand years since the birth of Guillaume / William the Conqueror. We were delighted to welcome the delegation to the island and look forward to continuing our positive engagement.”

Deputy Steve Falla, External Relations Lead for the Committee for Policy & Resources, said: “The close connections between Guernsey and France are reflected in our shared interests and the opportunities we have to work together on issues affecting our region. It was particularly valuable to discuss transport links and economic cooperation, and to exchange views on developments that will shape the future of our communities. We appreciate the time the delegation spent in Guernsey and the constructive nature of the discussions.”

MP Philippe Gosselin, co-president of the study group said: “This visit to Guernsey, similarly to the one in Jersey last year, has proven one more time to French Parliamentarians how strong, the links between France and Guernsey are, and more particularly with Normandy and Brittany. Beyond our close friendship and the strong historical heritage, this proximity is also reinforced by other important topics of common interest, such as tourism, trade and much more.”

From 26 to 28 August, the Contemporary Art network of Normandy, RN13BIS, participated a fact finding visit for the first time to Jersey and Guernsey with 10 representatives from Normandy including FRAC Normandie, the organisation RADAR, the Artothèque of Cherbourg, the city of Cherbourg, the Domincaines and the municipality of Gavray-sur-Sienne.

In Jersey, the delegation met with representatives of the Société Jersiaise to discuss its collections and missions. The delegation visited Danny Booth’s Full Bloom exhibition at Art House Jersey Gallery and considered future artistic and cultural projects.

In Guernsey, the delegation visited the St James Centre, a place of artistic creation in the centre of St Peter Port and met with local artists. The delegation discovered Guernsey’s artistic strategy and discussed cultural projects with representatives of Guernsey Arts and Guernsey Museum.

RN13BIS is collaborating with Jersey and Guernsey as part of the cultural project “Millennium-2027 European Year of the Normans”. The project is a year-long cultural programme, led by the Normandy region to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror and the legacy of the Normans across Europe. The Channel Islands are preparing more than 80 projects combining festive events, conferences, artistic and cultural projects, concerts, festivals, educational projects, research conferences, multidisciplinary art exhibitions and many more! More info on the Millenium here

Thanks to this visit, the Normandy delegation discovered the cultural and artistic scene of the Channel Islands and made new contacts to consider future collaborations.

On 20th July, the annual windfarm visit took place in Guernsey with representatives of the DREAL Normandie (Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing), the DIRM Bretagne (Interregional Directorate for the Sea) and the Government of Jersey. The respective teams discussed Guernsey and Alderney’s marine special plan and future wind farm projects. This visit follows a first operational meeting held on 1 June. These annual exchanges maintain the dialogue between the Channel Islands and the Normandy and Brittany regions and enable to better understand the progress of the respective projects.

On 5 July, the 43rd edition of the Tour des Ports de la Manche, organised by the Manche Department and the Granville Yacht Club, set sail from Granville. This legendary race, created in 1983 by the Granville Yacht Club, is Normandy’s oldest sailing race and winds its way around the Channel Islands and the Manche coast. More than 100 sailboats with nearly 500 participants made the trip for this 2026 edition. The winner of the 2005 Vendée Globe, Vincent Riou is the patron of this edition. Many international teams registered this year with more than twenty-two foreign crews on the starting line.

In Jersey, the participants were welcomed by the Minister of Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Gérald Voisin, who congratulated them for this year’s success. On July 6, the participants sailed from Granville to Jersey before heading to Barneville-Carteret on July 8. On July 9, the sailboats set off for Guernsey before arriving in Diélette on 10 July.

Every year, the Channel Islands welcome participants from Normandy to celebrate sailing as a friendly and unifying sport. This race celebrates the historical links between Normandy and the Channel Islands.

On 2-3 July, the Normandy region unveiled the official programme of the ‘Millennium: 2027 – European Year of the Normans’. More than 500 European partners attended the event coming from Ireland, Flanders, Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom, southern Italy and the Channel Islands!

2027 is a cultural initiative led by the Normandy region and will celebrate the millennium of the birth of William the Conqueror and the Norman footprint across Europe. To mark this event, an exceptional cultural programme is being prepared to honour the tangible and intangible heritage of the Normans. 2027 will be the starting point for several European cooperations ignited by the heritage of the Normans. The Channel Islands have unveiled more than 80 projects combining festive events, conferences, artistic and cultural projects, concerts, festivals, educational projects, research conferences, multidisciplinary art exhibitions and many more! The Government of Jersey was represented by the head for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Charlotte Howe, and the States of Guernsey were represented by the Deputy Paul Montague, President of the Committee for Education, Sports and Culture and the Head of Culture and Heritage Services.

We thank the Normandy region for the inclusion of the Channel Islands in this event year, which is set to be exceptional! Find out more on projects of the Channel Islands for the Millenium here

As part of the cooperation agreement between the department of Ille et Vilaine and the Channel Islands (renewed in 2023), civil servants from the departmental archives services visited Jersey and Guernsey from 29 to 30 June. On 29 June, in Guernsey, the participants were welcomed by the team at Island Archives, the local archives service, to discover the organisation and missions of the service as well as conservation and digitisation projects. In the afternoon, the team visited the Museum Curatorial Centre which deals with the preservation of local archives. The day ended with a visit to the Guernsey Museums and Candie Gardens, where the statue of Victor Hugo is featured. On 30 June, in Jersey, the team was welcomed by Jersey Archives, the local archives service. The visit began with a presentation of the structure, a discussion on public records legislation, the collections, volunteer engagement at Jersey Archive, outreach projects and various conversation programs. The day ended with a meeting with the various teams and a visit to the archive building. The visits enabled to gain knowledge of each institution, share best practice and nurture future collaborations.

On 28 May, a delegation from the Channel Islands visited the Caen University Hospital for the first time to work on joint hospital measures. The delegation met with the technical teams from several departments to discuss awareness programs for the population. These exchanges with Normandy contribute to bringing these neighbouring territories closer while increasing their ability for greater resilience.

On 21 and 22 May, a delegation from Jersey travelled to the Departments of la Manche and Ille-et-Vilaine to discuss measures to prevent coastal erosion. In la Manche, the delegation visited several sites in the bay of Mont Saint Michel, where measures against coastal erosion are being implemented, the sites included the Havre de Blainville, the Havre de Geffosses and the Gouville-sur-Mer campsite. The delegation discussed raising awareness among the civilian population as well as prevention programs with members of la Manche department.  In Ille-et-Vilaine, the delegation went to Anse du Guesclin, in Saint-Coulomb, to learn more about the public consultation process launched in 2023. This consultation focuses on the future of the stretch of coastline and was initiated by the Department of Ille-et-Vilaine, with Saint-Malo Agglomération, the municipalities of Saint-Coulomb, Cancale and Saint-Malo, and the sub-prefecture of Saint-Malo.