Strengthening Jersey’s international reputation

By Deputy Ian Gorst, Minister for External Relations 

As we move through the final quarter of 2025, it is timely to reflect upon the work undertaken so far this year to strengthen Jersey’s international reputation, promote our economic interests, and deepen our relationships with key partners. 

The Government of Jersey’s external relations strategy continues to focus on competitiveness, connectivity, and confidence on the global stage – and through a range of engagements, commitments and agreements – we grow our relationships with key external partners to promote and protect Jersey’s interests on an international stage.  

Promoting Jersey/enabling business 

We supported Jersey Business and the private sector’s presence at the two major UK trade conferences of the year, Global Britain Trade Expo and Global Trade Review 2025, to develop commercial leads on new trade opportunities, and played a central role in securing Jersey’s participation in the UK’s membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), opening access to goods trade with key Asia-Pacific markets. 

Assistant Minister Deputy Elaine Millar led a successful visit to the Middle East, strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar as part of Jersey Finance’s “Perspectives: Women in Leadership” roadshow. Whilst in the Gulf, Deputy Millar met with Ministers and key stakeholders to emphasise Jersey’s economic ambitions in the region, including making the case for Jersey’s full participation in the UK – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s Free Trade Agreement. 

UK Affairs 

Party Conferences, BIC and visiting MPs 

A core part of External Relations work involves engaging with a wide range of UK Ministers and cross-party Parliamentarians, and this year discussions have been particularly important with colleagues in the Cabinet Office, Defra and the Ministry of Justice, given ambitions for the EU-UK reset.  

In the autumn, I attended the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, and the Reform UK Party Conference in Birmingham. These events provided valuable opportunities to engage with Ministers, Shadow Ministers, Parliamentarians, and diplomatic representatives. Our discussions covered a wide range of affecting Jersey’s interests, from trade collaboration to fisheries matters and cooperation in the global fight against financial crime. Deputy Carolyn Labey represented Jersey at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference in Bournemouth, ensuring our voice was heard across the political spectrum, and our constitutional position in respect of the UK continues to be understood.  

Earlier in the year, I joined the Chief Minister at the British-Irish Council (BIC) Summit in Northern Ireland, focusing on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in public administration, and we were pleased to welcome Sarah Champion MP to Jersey in June for her first official visit as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Channel Islands. Her visit provided a valuable platform to discuss a range of issues and to showcase Jersey’s unique identity, economy, and culture – an opportunity also taken during a two-day visit in October by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle. During his time on the Island, the Speaker met senior officials and members of the States Assembly, toured key civic sites, and engaged in dialogue on Jersey’s role within the wider British family.   

European Relations 

UK-EU reset and regional partnerships  

We have continued to support the UK-EU relationship reset, including regular engagement on key issues (future SPS agreement, youth mobility and energy cooperation) with UK departments, participation in the post-Summit event at Downing Street in May, and meetings with the EU institutions in Brussels.  

Jersey has also engaged with European diplomatic partners, hosting multiple inbound visits this year to strengthen ties and promote mutual understanding. These have included the Portuguese, German Estonian and Romanian Ambassadors.  

A new five-year partnership with the Franco-British Council was signed this year, securing new opportunities for Islanders in the Young Leaders programme and enhancing access to French political and cultural networks.   

We also renewed our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Instituto Camões, reinforcing our commitment to Portuguese language education and cultural exchange.  

The 2025 Normandy Summit was a highlight of our regional diplomacy. Representatives from Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, La Manche, and Normandy joined us in Jersey to celebrate a decade of official ties. A new three-year MoU was signed, reaffirming cooperation in four key areas: governmental links; economic development, tourism, trade and transport; education, sports, culture and heritage; and environmental and marine issues, including renewable energy. 

In support of our cultural diplomacy work, our joint Channel Islands office in Brussels participated in European wide events this quarter, including the European Week of Regions and Cities and European poetry festival Transpoesie – which provided an opportunity for Island poets to perform alongside poets from across Europe. Strengthening relationships with other European countries and regions the office also supported the third annual event focused on regenerating minority languages; thanks as always for the support of the Office du Jerriais. Jersey recently also hosted His Excellency Pedro Serrano, the European Union’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, as part of a wider tour of the Crown Dependencies. Ambassador Serrano’s visit focused on strengthening post-Brexit ties and exploring opportunities for deeper cooperation between Jersey and the EU. The Ambassador emphasised that Jersey, while outside the EU, remains an integral part of the European continent and has much to gain from constructive engagement with EU institutions. 

Global Relations and International Trade 

We continue to build Jersey’s global profile through strategic international engagement with our partners beyond the UK and EU. The signing of a new Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with Bahrain was a significant milestone this year, marking the 16th such agreement that Jersey has concluded to date. Once ratified, Jersey individuals and companies in Bahrain will not suffer from “double taxation”, whereby income can be taxed in both the country where the activities take place and in the country of tax residence.  

Jersey’s profile and access continue to grow in the Middle East, demonstrated by the visit to the Island of the Qatari Ambassador to the UK. This provided an opportunity to showcase Jersey as a trusted partner for business and inward investment.  

We were also pleased to facilitate several other visits to the Island by key partners, including delegations from the Government of Kenya and the Ghanaian High Commission. Discussions during these visits centred on trade and investment opportunities, labour mobility, and other areas of mutual interest. 

On the multilateral stage, Jersey continues to take its international treaty obligations seriously. External Relations officials represented the Island in Geneva at the UN review of the UK’s progress under the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) – a core human rights treaty extended to Jersey – where the UN Committee commended our approach to global tax and transparency. 

We also secured the establishment of two UK-Crown Dependencies Joint Committees – on Trade and Customs – ensuring Jersey’s voice is heard in shaping UK policy at the World Trade Organisation and in addressing trade frictions. 

And we continue to ensure that Jersey implements an effective and robust sanctions regime, in line with our international commitments and UK Foreign Policy, in the face of continuing geopolitical turmoil and conflict. 

Finance and competitiveness 

Jersey’s financial services sector remains a cornerstone of our economy, and we have continued to champion its strengths internationally. In 2025, we have worked closely with industry and regulators to ensure Jersey remains a jurisdiction of choice for high-quality, well-regulated financial services. This includes demonstrating our compliance with international standards through over a dozen successful treaty compliance exercises, covering areas from financial regulation to government procurement. 

Two major initiatives under the new Competitiveness Programme were launched this year to help protect and grow Jersey’s financial services sector. The Jersey Private Fund (JPF) regime has been modernised to better meet the needs of international professional investors. Key changes – effective from 6 August – include removing the 50-investor cap, expanding the definition of professional investor, permitting listings with JFSC consent, and introducing a 24-hour authorisation process. These revisions follow industry engagement and reflect a broader global movement toward bespoke, efficient private fund vehicles for professional investors.  

In parallel, proposals to simplify the Sound Business Practice Policy were published. These aim to streamline its application, reducing unnecessary requirements. This change will enable businesses to do what they already do well: determine the risk of their activity and to act accordingly. The simplification of the now renamed Sound Business Policy does not impact Jersey’s commitment to remain a reputable International Finance Centre, but rather acknowledges that the industry understands risk and allows them to take greater responsibility for managing it. 

Both initiatives were unveiled at the launch of the Competitiveness Programme, which brings together government, regulator, and industry to shape Jersey’s long-term economic strategy. The programme is structured around four strategic workstreams – tax strategy, regulatory reform, external growth, and future competitiveness – ensuring Jersey remains agile and attractive in a fast-changing global landscape. 

Looking ahead 

Upcoming events across the UK and Europe will provide further opportunities to promote Jersey’s interests, including participation in key trade, diplomatic and cultural forums. Applications for the 2026 Franco-British Council Young Leaders Programme open next week, and we will have officers attending a ‘Power and Trade’ conference in Paris in January.

We will continue to work with our partners across government, industry, and the international community to ensure Jersey remains a trusted, outward-facing jurisdiction, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.