Jersey wants tariff-free relationship with EU from next year

Thursday 22 October 2020

Jersey is seeking a tariff-free relationship with the EU from this January.

Setting out the Island’s bargaining position at the start of a two-day online conference today, External Relations Minister Ian Gorst said that the Government’s position was clear: that Jersey wants the current relationship it has with Europe - set out in Protocol 3 of the UK Treaty of Accession - to continue.

That Protocol - signed in 1972 in preparation for the UK’s entry into the EEC - established the free movement of goods between the Crown Dependencies and Europe. The basis of Jersey’s negotiations with the UK, the EU and France is that that free trade in goods continues.

Senator Gorst said: “We have been clear on our policy position right from the start, which is the continuation of the relationship with Europe that we currently enjoy, which is not as a member but through a small protocol focused on goods. 

Pictured: External Relations Minister Ian Gorst and the panel at today's online 'Beyond Brexit' conference.

“And we are confident that our position has been clearly communicated to Brussels by the UK. 

“We, of course, recognise the problems that the UK’s departure from the EU brings: there will be changes to the length of time that Islanders can visit Europe, there will be extra border requirements, and other issues with travel. We will have to deal with those because of the decision of the UK to exit the EU.

“Of course the other side of the coin is that for 40 or so years, we have benefited greatly from the UK’s membership of the EU and we have a very high degree of freedom to introduce legislation which we thought appropriate to our economy and gave us access to European markets in an unhindered way.

“You could argue that we have benefited greatly and now we are returning to a more normal position. But if there is a deal and our policy position is accepted and factored into such a deal, then a lot of those unfairnesses can be dealt with.”

With the vast majority of imported goods coming from the UK, Jersey has already secured a customs agreement with the UK and joined the World Trade Organisation in case the UK and EU can’t agree a trade deal.

However, one of the most controversial areas of negotiations remains fishing and aquaculture, with the most produce caught and harvested in Jersey exported into Europe.

Picture: The future of Jersey's fishing and aquaculture industries is one of the most controversial parts of the Island's Brexit negotiations.

Addressing that issue, Environment Minister John Young told the conference: “Protocol 3 will go from 1 January and what we are seeking to make sure is we can have access for our fishing and aquaculture businesses to markets in the EU.

“Of course, that will need to be equivalent access in the same way that our neighbours are able to access that market as well. And that means tariff free. 

“That is what we have sought to maintain but we won’t know until this weekend if that will be successful. 

“We recognise that part and parcel of that is that we need to make sure that all of the vessels that access our fishing waters as part of that equivalence arrangement meet equal standards in terms of sustainability and conservation of stocks, and that the arrangements ensure that there is no imbalance and we have long-term sustainability. 

“For such an agreement to work, those elements are critical. That presents us with quite a big challenge; it is quite a controversial area, but we have made it quite plain what our expectations are.”

Senator Gorst added: “For us, the fundamentally important point is sustainability of our waters, but equally there needs to be economic sustainability for our fishing community, which is both fishing and aquaculture.

“If they are going to have economic sustainability, they also need access to markets to create that sustainability. We recognise that it is controversial but it is important that we continue to negotiate with those principal points in mind.”