Manx Chief Minister Leads Delegation To Brussels

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

13 September 2007

Isle of Man Chief Minister Tony Brown has led his first delegation to Brussels, in the latest Isle of Man Government visit to the heart of the European Union.

Brown returned to the Island on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 after two days of meetings at the European Commission and European Parliament, accompanied by Chief Secretary Mary Williams and Director of External Relations Della Fletcher.

The Chief Minister commented:

"The Isle of Man is not a member of the EU but it can still influence us in a variety of ways. It is vital that we continue to cultivate contacts in Brussels to monitor developments that may be relevant to us, and to explain the Isle of Man’s position."

He continued: "We have to keep on top of issues that may affect the future of the Island and the development of our economy, which now operates in a global environment. The bottom line in all this is that we need good international relations to pave the way for continued economic growth, which in turn supports jobs, living standards and public services for the people of the Isle of Man."

The meetings allowed the Chief Minister and his delegation the opportunity to discuss a diverse range of current significant issues with EU insiders.

Among these was Jacqueline Minor, the Director of Single Market Policies, who is reviewing the effect of the single market upon citizens. Among other topics, the review will be assessing matters as wide-ranging as professional qualifications and auditing standards in jurisdictions within and outside Europe, to assess their equivalency to EU standards.

Discussions were held with John Richardson, Director of the Task Force leading the EU’s proposed new Maritime Policy, which was the subject of a special workshop – involving island representatives from across Europe – hosted by the Isle of Man in April this year. Mr Richardson expressed his interest in following up some of these related issues with a future visit to the Isle of Man.

The Centre for European Policy Studies, a Brussels-based research think-tank briefed the Manx delegation on a range of financial and monetary topics.

The two day series of meetings also included a behind the scenes round-up from Alastair Sutton of the law firm White & Case – the Isle of Man Government’s ‘eyes and ears’ in Brussels – on relevant issues and initiatives.

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