Select a region
Jersey’s engagement in Brexit negotiations will continue, with the island pushing for a deal that “meets the interests of Jersey residents and island businesses,” the External Relations Minister has said.
Senator Ian Gorst’s comments came after it was announced that talks between the UK and EU would continue past yesterday’s deadline in order to reach an agreement before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
A joint statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued yesterday afternoon explained: “Our negotiating teams have been working day and night over recent days.
“And despite the exhaustion after almost a year of negotiations, despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we think it is responsible at this point to go the extra mile.
“We have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the talks and to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached.”
Video: The European Commission President reading the statement.
Senator Gorst said he was “pleased” with this, adding: “In Jersey, we have been preparing for all possible outcomes from these negotiations since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016 and are continuing to do so.
“We remain committed to working closely with the UK Government, and our Crown Dependency colleagues, to ensure our interests continue to be understood and fully represented in these final stages of the negotiations."
He added: “Our engagement in the negotiations will continue, through the UK, as we seek to achieve our clear objectives and conclude an agreement that meets the interests of Jersey residents and island businesses.”
Pictured: External Relations Minister Senator Ian Gorst.
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 most produce caught and harvested in Jersey exported into Europe.
Jersey wants tariff-free relationship with EU from next year
Jersey in standoff with Europe over "discriminatory" fish checks
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.