This is the first joint ministerial contact programme to be undertaken by Guernsey’s Policy Council and Jersey’s Council of Ministers.
The Irish government is to assume the EU Presidency in January next year for a term of six months, as is usual, and the two Channel Island government offices said in that time it is likely the Irish government will “oversee political consideration of a number of issues of importance” to them.
Deputy Le Tocq said: “Ireland is a long-standing friend of Guernsey and the Channel Islands through the British-Irish Council. It is one of the EU Member States that has always defended the integrity of the European single market, striving to keep it open and outward looking.
“The purpose of the trip is to find out more about the priorities that the Irish government has for its presidency – including of course the handling of the eurozone crisis and seeking to stimulate growth and jobs. It will also be an opportunity to discuss particular dossiers in areas of interest to the Channel Islands like international co-operation, financial services, e-commerce, aviation, and data protection.”
