Forum Topic

What actually happened in Jersey?

Good morning,Does anyone understand what happened in Jersey?  It baffles me as Jersey was never in the EU, it was (and still is) considered a "third country", so why would the Brexit deal (particularly on fishing) apply to them?  Guernsey, on the other hand, though it was not in the EU per se, it was in the European Customs though it never contributed, nor did it receive, fund from the EU.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1817d11 Comments

I think, Ed, that is the consequence and not the cause of the problem in Jersey.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1816d

It seems to be in the same category of threat as Priti Patel's "starve" the Irish comment during the Backstop argument, a!though perhaps not quite as crass. Something that would be possible but very unlikely to happen. (Rather ironic that it was Northern Ireland that was likely to have shortages after Johnson's "great" trade deal ...)

Michael Ixer ● 1816d

"What actually happened in Jersey?"Stays in Jersey...The threat of removing electricity may not have been serious but it does highlight the dependency on France. Let's hope it accelerates their renewable programme. Local green energy has to be better surely.

Ed Robinson ● 1816d

What an unmitigated mess!

Ivonne Holliday ● 1817d

And you'll need an electronic visa to go to Gibraltar soon ...https://www.etias.info/gibraltar-joins-schengen-after-brexit/

Michael Ixer ● 1817d

Thank you very much indeed Michael.It seems that fishing since Brexit is a big problem everywhere! And no, I was not aware about Gibraltar now being part of Schengen but perhaps it does not surprise me.  Many people who live in Gibraltar work in Spain and vice versa.  They could not go through Customs at least twice a day!

Ivonne Holliday ● 1817d

Thank you Ed, as I was not aware of the latest developments, meaning Brexit arrangements since January 2021.What I knew, and confirmed by Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey) that I quote below, was that Jersey is/was?"Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination. The island has a separate relationship with the Crown than the other Crown dependencies and the Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen there. Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom, and has an international identity separate from that of the UK but the UK is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey.......Jersey disputeMain article: 2021 Jersey dispute (updated May 2021)The Jersey dispute is an ongoing dispute involving United Kingdom, Jersey and France about the Government of Jersey's licencing of French fishing boats to fish in its territorial waters. On 5 May 2021 United Kingdom sent two patrol boats to Jersey in response to threats from French fishermen to blockade Jersey's main harbour and French threats to cut off Jersey's electricity. On 6 May France retaliated by sending two patrol boats of its own to Jersey."......"Jersey is a third-party European country to the EU. Since 1 January 2021, Jersey has been part of the UK-EU Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement for the purposes of goods and fishing. Goods exported from the island into Europe are not subject to tariffs and Jersey is solely responsible for management of its territorial waters, however permits may be granted to EU fishermen who have a history of fishing in the Bailiwick's waters. The management of this permit system has caused tension between the French and Jersey authorities, with the French threatening to cut off Jersey's electricity supply in May 2021. Before the end of the transition period after the UK withdrew from the EU in 2020, Jersey had a special relationship with the EU. It was part of the EU customs union and there was free movement of goods between Jersey and the EU but the single market in financial services and free movement of people did not apply to Jersey."So, the Brexit mess has been extended to Jersey and I assume Guernsey?Thank you once again.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1817d

Ivonne this may help or not :)https://www.gov.je/Government/Departments/JerseyWorld/pages/relationshipeuanduk.aspx#anchor-1Jersey was never an associate member of the EU unlike Gibraltar.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_relations_of_Jersey

Ed Robinson ● 1817d

Ivonne. I'm not sure of the exact legal details but states not part of the EU but closely associated with other nembers that are (Jersey, Guernsey, Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City, etc) have special agreements with the EU which may include membership of the single market, Schengen, etc. I came across this in financial services as many UK institutions have branches in the Channel Islands and need to export personal data there. In fact Jersey and Guernsey have their own data protection acts and agreements with the EU which mean that's OK! (In fact I've had a Jersey branch do due diligence on my IT processes in the UK to ensure they meet Jersey regulatory requirements!)With regard to fishing there seems to be an EU-UK agreement that Jersey and France are trying to implement, complicated by the fact that Jersey is not part of the UK and manages its own fishing rights but as a Crown Dependency the UK looks after parts of foreign relationships. So Jersey's fisheries are mentioned in the EU-UK trade agreement even though they are managed by Jersey. I heard the terms "miscommunication, misunderstanding" mentionerd yesterday ...(Similarly, even though it's a Brithis Overseas Territory Gibraltar will now be part of Schengen, isn't Brexit  fun 🙂)

Michael Ixer ● 1817d

Thank you Victoria.  I did not know Jersey had become an "associate" member of the EU.  Everywhere I looked it said they were "third country" though perhaps, as Guernsey, it had special access to the customs union?  Must continue investigating.Thank you once again for your reply.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1817d

I believe Jersey became an 'associate' member of the EU.  There has often been friction over French fishing vessels in/around Jersey waters - they even built huts on Jersey rocks/islets!

Victoria Richardson ● 1817d