The 29th meeting of the British-Irish Council will see representatives from the UK, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Irish governments, alongside politicians from the three Crown Dependencies – Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man – gathering to discuss the potential impact of the UK leaving the European Union.
And they have each been given a goodie bag containing Island products – including the first press of Jersey hemp oil.
The last time the meeting was held in the Channel Islands was in 2014 when former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was among the politicians who met in Guernsey.
Chief Minister Ian Gorst said: ‘The British-Irish Council was formed in 1998 as a direct result of the Good Friday Agreement, to promote positive, practical relationships among its members, and to provide a forum for consultation and co-operation. It was a bold and inclusive initiative, as the first council of its kind to include the leaders of sovereign governments, devolved institutions and the Crown Dependencies.
‘This bi-annual summit provides a unique opportunity for representatives of the member administrations to have open, constructive dialogue, across a range of topics, whilst reinforcing the strong inter-governmental relationships built across the last 20 years.
‘The summit will provide an opportunity for Council members to discuss a number of important matters, including the continued absence of a Northern Ireland Executive and the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.’
The meeting comes in the wake of the release of the ‘Paradise Papers’ – a hoard of leaked documents which have led to allegations about the islands facilitating aggressive tax avoidance, something that the Chief Minister has said has no place in Jersey.
Senator Gorst added: ‘The British-Irish Council also allows member administrations to co-operate across 12 distinct work areas, and I am delighted that Jersey is the lead administration for the BIC Creative Industries work sector. The Island has developed a burgeoning creative industry and our ministers and officials have been working closely with their counterparts in member administrations to build initiatives for future collaboration.’
