THERE seems to be some confusion about the status of a new office being set up in Brussels to represent the interests of the Channel Islands at the very heart of the European Union.

Guernsey’s Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Trott, says that a joint office will be in operation by June. Our Chief Minister, Senator Terry Le Sueur, on the other hand, says that a firm agreement on co-operation in Brussels has yet to be reached.

The confusion is unfortunate, but it is encouraging that that joint action on presenting a united front to the EU is at least on the cards. This sort of inter-island joint initiative is exactly what is needed in an era when the two Bailiwicks have so much in common and so many common goals.

As Senator Le Sueur has hinted, there are undoubtedly final details that must be addressed before the new office can bill itself as representing the Channel Islands as a whole, as opposed to a single island, but it is to be hoped that problems can be ironed out in time for the June opening that Deputy Trott forecasts.

There has, of course, been much talk in recent years about inter-island co-operation. It has been suggested that, among other things, Jersey and Guernsey’s financial services sectors could liaise more closely on regulation, that all the islands’ tourism industries could involve themselves in more joint promotion and, as most people must now be aware, it is possible that our new incinerator will burn Guernsey waste.

Such initiatives require tremendous amounts of planning and a give-and-take attitude on both sides of discussions. However, numerous major Channel Islands firms have shown that it makes a great deal of sense to operate both here and in Guernsey. Their willingness to overcome structural problems and any residual inter-island rivalry shows that the challenges of co-operation can be met.

Sadly, ancient rivalry between two communities can still be a factor – especially at the level of public sector activity. Though the idea has no foundation in reality, backwoodsmen here and among the neighbours imagine that working with the other Bailiwick constitutes some sort of sell-out.

It is about time that inter-island competition was confined to the sports field, that the terms crapaud and donkey were seen as badges of honour rather than insults, and that all Channel Islanders realised that their joint interests far outweigh their often imagined differences.