Viewpoint: Proper pan-island partnership is a pre-requisite

Thursday 15 March 2018

Every month in Connect magazine, ViewPoint puts forward a key question facing one of the island's main industry sectors - and then a group of leading practitioners give their take on the answer, and what it means for Jersey.

This month, Lee Morris, Investment Director at Quilter Cheviot, comments a pan-island partnership is a pipe-dream, a possibility or a pre-requisite.

"'Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success,' said Henry Ford

"With the Channel Islands competing to attract businesses to locate and operate in their jurisdictions in order to benefit their local societies and long-term economic well-being, pan- island co-operation seems a pipe-dream for many.

"However, not all is lost for the team players out there. There is some broad co-operation via the British and Irish Council (BIC) which evolved from the Good Friday agreement. The BIC aims to promote harmonious relationships among the people of the British Isles, including the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey. 

"On matters European, both Jersey and Guernsey have made tremendous progress and are working together effectively in the Channel Island Brussels Office (CIBO). The CIBO was opened in 2011 to promote the interest of the Channel Islands to EU institutions and to advise the governments of Guernsey and Jersey on EU policy issues.

"However, effective co-operation remains difficult on a micro-level. Despite their proximity, both islands have very different housing and business regulations. Essentially treating each other’s citizens as ‘foreigners’ is surely a hindrance for businesses and individuals seeking to operate on both islands.

"It appears then, at a macro-level at least, the islands are beginning to work together for the greater good. I think we can be hopeful that this will continue, especially in the light of an increasingly complex geo-political arena. If we can make it easier for businesses and individuals to operate from both jurisdictions then proper pan-island co-operation would be a possibility."

You can read the rest of Connect magazine here.