Today, Jersey’s Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, and the Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, met with the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to discuss matters of significant importance to the Island.
The discussions included international trade and the ongoing process of licensing French fishing vessels in Jersey waters.
The Chief Minister commented: “I would like to thank the Prime Minister for giving us his valuable time to discuss these important matters, and for his continued commitment to ensure that the views of our Island are considered in ongoing discussions with the EU and France.”
The Minister for External Relations said: “As a proud member of the British family, it is crucial that we continue to work closely with the UK Government to proactively manage matters of international trade and fisheries.
“I am grateful to the Prime Minister for his time and reassurance that Jersey’s views are being heard and considered as the UK manages the practicalities of the new UK-EU trading relationship.”
The UK Prime Minister said: “I was pleased to meet with Jersey Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, and the Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, earlier today.
“The UK/Jersey relationship remains strong and we agreed to continue working closely together on issues that affect us both.
“We support Jersey’s approach on fishing licenses which has been reasonable and fully in line with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)”
The Prime Minister said that France’s recent threats were unjustified and would have breached the TCA. He reiterated that the UK would continue to stand behind Jersey in the event that they were carried through, although he welcomed their deferral and said he hoped that they would be taken off the table permanently.
Both sides agreed that they would continue to assess new evidence in support of the remaining license applications and that technical discussions with the EU Commission and France would continue.
