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.

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 ongoing cooperation, Jersey and Guernsey have attended the annual political summit with the departmental council of Ille-et-Vilaine to review how they have been working together.

The departmental council of Ille et Vilaine hosted the 2022 summit in Rennes; the first time that the meeting has taken place in person since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The cooperation agreement, between Guernsey, Jersey and the departmental council of Ille et Vilaine, renewed in 2020 for a period of three years, facilitates joint working in a number of areas, including education, youth mobility, culture and arts, overseas aid, transport and trade. It also enables discussions on strategic issues such as the impact on the Channel Islands of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

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.

Islanders can enjoy direct flights to France this summer as Blue Islands launches a new twice weekly service from to Rennes from Jersey and Guernsey. Located in the beautiful Brittany region of France, Rennes Airport provides easy access to the surrounding area with a flight time of just 40 minutes.

Rob Veron, CEO Blue Islands said, “Our twice weekly service to France this summer is an exciting addition to our network. As well as being a wonderful city to discover, with car hire, bus and TGV connections, Rennes is an ideal gateway to France.”

Commencing 20 June 2022, the initial 12-week series of flights will operate on Monday and Friday afternoons, perfect for flexible 3-night weekend breaks, 2-week holidays, or longer stays to make the most of your holiday home or rented gîte. It is possible to fly from Guernsey with a short connection in Jersey. Blue Islands will continually review demand, adding additional flights if required.

Not only is Rennes the perfect access point for holidays in Brittany, with high-speed TGV trains you can be in Paris in around 90 minutes.