Thanks to the kind involvement of the Prefecture of Brittany, the senior team of DVS in Jersey travelled to Rennes on 1 and 2 October 2015 to meet interlocutors of choice and see how driving tests are carried out and to what standard. The aim of the visit was to better understand the French learning rules for the revision of Jersey Driving tests and Examination procedures.
The meetings were seen as very interesting (or inspiring?) from both parties and enable to open a new line of communication between the French services and their Jersey counterparts.
Following the official switching of the third submarine electric cable between France and Jersey in January, agreement has been reached to replace EDF1, the first cable to be put in place that was installed in 1984. Jersey Electricity and Guernsey Electricity will joint fund the £40m replacement cable that is expected to be completed in 2017.
A delegation from the Channel Islands visited Brittany recently to meet with representatives from the Region’s regional health authority. Dr Stephen Bridgman, Guernsey’s Director of Public Health, and Dr Susan Turnbull, Jersey’s Medical Officer for Health, met Breton colleagues to discuss a range of public health matters, and a new public health professional cross-border network, to share good practice and enhance efforts to protect and improve the health of Channel islanders.
Jersey’s Probation and Aftercare Service was delighted to host a delegation from the French National Probation and Prison Training Academy (ENAP) in early July. The delegation was led by the Director of the Probation Department, Mr Michel Flauder. Accompanying was Mr Cédric Le Bossé, ENAP’s International Relations Officer. Professor Peter Raynor from Swansea University also joined the delegation to present on academic research he has conducted in Jersey, the results of which have been incorporated into practice attracting considerable interest from around the world. The delegation learnt about probation initiatives and observed staff working with their clients. The delegation chose to visit Jersey because of its longstanding reputation for delivering effective assessment and supervision practice.”
Lower Normandy, La Manche, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark held the inaugural annual Summit on the 5th June 2015 at Mont Saint Michel, in the presence of the French State‘s representative, the Préfète of La Manche.
Less than six months after the signing in Cherbourg of the Cooperation Agreement on 22 January 2015 between the regional council of Lower Normandy, the county council of La Manche, the Government of Jersey and the States of Guernsey, the four territories met at the first annual Summit to explore opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. Associate Members Alderney and Sark were also represented.
Laurent Beauvais, President of the regional council of Lower Normandy, Philippe Bas, President of the county council of La Manche, Senator Ian Gorst, Chief Minister of Jersey, Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, Chief Minister of Guernsey, Neil Harvey, Chairman of the Alderney’s Policy and Finance Committee, Conseiller Charles Maitland, Chairman of Sark’s Policy and Performance Committee, and Daniele Polvé-Montmasson, Préfète of La Manche were present at this inaugural event.
The annual Summit sealed the friendship that exists between the partner jurisdictions and offered an opportunity to work together on matters of mutual interest in areas such as the economy, culture and the environment.
Among the subjects discussed were the Tour De France 2016, which will begin in La Manche, emergency planning and cooperation between digital promotion agencies. Marine renewable energy was also discussed in the context of the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference that will be held in Paris in December 2015.
The merger of Lower and Upper Normandy was also discussed by President Laurent Beauvais.
The Préfète of La Manche concluded the annual Summit, which was hosted at the historic Mont Saint Michel. More than 75 elected officials and officers from the four jurisdictions took part. Jersey will welcome the second annual Summit in 2016.
This Communiqué is drafted in French and English, both versions having equal value
Guernsey and Jersey representatives visited Caen 4 June 2015 to discuss the educational and cultural cooperation with several Norman partners. Meetings were held with the University of Caen, IRTS, the Museum of Normandy and the Graduate School of Arts and Media of Caen-Cherbourg (ESAM, Fine Arts), the FRAC and a number of potential cooperation projects were identified.
Following a meeting with representatives from Guernsey in Nantes on 20 May at the Thetis conference dedicated to marine renewable energy (MRE), a delegation of Bretagne Developpement Innovation came to Jersey on 4 June to explore opportunities of cooperation in the areas of MRE, construction, food, retail and digital. Brittany is a dynamic region economically, and this visit helped to develop links with its development and innovation agency. The discussions were positive and focused on collaboration projects and business opportunities for the Brittany and Jersey companies.
A Channel Island delegation visited Caen on the 19 and 20 May to meet local digital agencies. Following the creation of Digital Jersey and Guernsey’s Digital Greenhouse, this visit provided a perfect opportunity to engage with Norman partners working in the digital sphere.
During their time in Caen the delegation met with a number of leading agencies, including Forum Digital (dedicated to digital innovation), Miriade (Regional economic development agency), Synergia (Caen’s economic development agency), Pole TES (e secured transactions cluster), Manche Numerique (Fiber development & digital agency of La Manche), Normandie Welcome (Norman networking association) and Orange Cash (contactless payment application developed in Caen) as well as Norman entrepreneurs SOHuCe and Make Idea.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Liberation, France 3 devoted a series of four reports dealing with the German Occupation in the Channel Islands. This sensitive issue has also led to an article about the experience of a Jerseymen at that time.
Elsewhere, Aurigny has integrated a documentary on Normandy in des racines et des ailes, released 29 April, revealing the beauty of the island, its heritage, and its bird sanctuaries, dear to ornithologists.
It’s on 17 May that the gardeners’ show Silence ça pousse will broadcast for the first time on a subject about some of the beautiful gardens of Jersey.
If you do not know the Channel Islands yet, here are some videos to give you a taste…
This is a greatevent whichis being preparedin the Channel Islands,around theanniversary of the liberation. The Heritage Festival, whichwill take place from 3Aprilto11 May 2015will mark the70thanniversary of the liberationof the islands,only part of theUK tohave beenunder the yoke ofGerman occupation forcesduring WorldWar II.The scar lefton the islandsis important andstillvisible todaywithobservation towerson the coast,bunkers,tunnels, hospitals and many collectionsto discover at the various museums. Throughoutthe five-week festival, historic sites will open their doorsexclusivelywith visitson the themeof the occupation.The highlightof thecelebrationswill take placeon 9 May, the anniversary of the liberation.
