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Securing a Brexit agreement by the end of the year will be "demanding" for the UK, but our Chief Minister says work has and will continue to be done to put Guernsey in the best possible position for when the transition period ends.
The United Kingdom will leave the European Union and cease to be an EU Member State at 23:00 tonight, 43 months after the UK public voted to leave the political union.
The UK and EU will enter a ‘transition period’ which is due to end on 31 December 2020, during which time the UK will still have the same rights and obligations as EU members.
That is mirrored in Guernsey, where Protocol 3 will, in effect, continue during the transition period, as will the free movement of goods and services.
Chief Minister Gavin St Pier said the Policy and Resources Committee will continue to represent the Bailiwick’s interests during the UK's negotiations with the EU over their future relationship.
“As the UK ceases to be a Member State of the EU at 11pm today, it marks a moment of historical significance for us as well as the UK," he said. "While the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is a matter for the UK to decide and whilst the islands of the Bailiwick were never part of the EU, the UK’s decision has a direct impact on our own relationship with the EU.
"It is for this reason that we have been working so closely with the UK, alongside Jersey and the Isle of Man, to minimise the impacts and to find the opportunities from this change. The States of Guernsey has collectively achieved many milestones in the process, including extending the territorial seas, agreeing a new customs partnership with the UK and seeking agreement for the UK’s membership of the World Trade Organization to be extended to us.
Pictured: Boris Johnson believes Brexit will be good for the UK.
"The next phase in the process is for the UK and EU to negotiate their future relationship. It is likely to be demanding as the negotiations will need to proceed at pace if an agreement is to be negotiated and ratified by the end of the 2020 transition period.
"The States has prepared for this and will continue to work hard to ensure that Guernsey’s interests are heard, understood and taken into account by the UK, even where our interests may diverge from those of the UK.
"We will want to ensure that any future agreement or protocol meets the Bailiwick’s needs whilst respecting the islands’ constitutional relationship with the Crown, the islands’ domestic autonomy and meets our economic needs.
"It is important that any agreement or protocol in respect of the Bailiwick be underpinned by principles of relevance, proportionality and practicality taking into account the island nature of the Bailiwick, its size and population.”
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