JERSEY should “stand its ground” on allowing French day-trippers to visit the Island using identity cards, the Economic Development Minister has said.
And Deputy Kirsten Morel warned in a Scrutiny hearing that without the scheme, it was unlikely that the Island’s eastern passenger links to Normandy could be sustained.
The ID card scheme, which was introduced after the post-Brexit requirement to travel from France with a passport saw visitor numbers plummet, was recently extended by 12 months.
But concerns have been raised that Jersey’s day-trip market could be in jeopardy as a result of the Electronic Travel Authority scheme planned for late 2025, which will require non-visa-nationals travelling to the Common Travel Area to provide passport details in advance.
Many French visitors do not have passports, using their national identity cards to travel within the EU.
Appearing before the Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel yesterday, Deputy Morel said: “We should maintain the system. Because of the wider situation in terms of the UK’s concerns about immigration laws and the EU’s concerns, I would be content to maintain it as it is at the moment, one day trip at a time.
“Pushing it further at this time would create a worry for the UK. What we can do is show that this day-trip situation works. There is no leakage of people from France to the UK via Jersey, therefore you have nothing to worry about.”
