The Channel Islands Brussels Office (CIBO) is the joint office of the Governments of Guernsey and Jersey that opened in 2011 to promote the interests of the Channel Islands in Europe and to represent the Channel Islands to the EU institutions.
The Channel Islands (“the Islands”) comprise the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey.
They are autonomous British Crown Dependencies with a direct allegiance to the British Crown which goes back over 800 years. They are not part of the UK, are not represented in the UK (Westminster) Parliament and receive no financial subsidy from the UK government.
They have their own parliaments and legal systems, and full fiscal autonomy.
The EU-UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) applies to the Islands to a more limited extent than to the UK.
CIBO has 3 permanent members of staff: Rebecca Millar (Director), Kerry O’Donoghue (Economic Affairs Attaché) and Senthia De Buyst (Operations Manager and Policy Assistant).
CIBO also has regular short-term secondees from the Jersey and Guernsey public administrations, and interns. CIBO’s offices are on Rond-Point Schuman in the heart of the district in Brussels where the European institutions are located.
Guernsey and Jersey are not sovereign states, but they are not and have never been part of the UK, a British colony or a dependent territory.
The team
Rebecca Millar
Director
Rebecca took up the post of Director of CIBO in July 2022. Rebecca was born and educated in Jersey. She has spent the majority of her career working in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) where she covered a range of country desks, took a secondment to the Cabinet Office and served overseas in posts such as Athens and Washington DC. She returned to Jersey in 2018 to join the Global Relations team leading the Island’s relationships with some international partners, including the USA. Rebecca moved to the Economy Department in late 2020 where she supported local businesses through the Covid pandemic and drove the development of economic frameworks in support of sectors of the Island’s economy. Rebecca is married to Tim, and has two primary school age children, Olivia and Ethan.
Kerry O’Donoghue
Economic Affairs Attaché
Kerry joined CIBO in March 2023 as Economic Affairs Attaché, where she is responsible for leading across a broad range of EU policy areas of economic significance to the Islands. This includes European economic governance, financial services, financial crime, digital, data protection, trade and the creative industries.
Born and raised in Jersey, Kerry went on to study at Queens University Belfast before moving to Brussels where she has been working for more than a decade. During this time, she has held positions within the European Commission, the Irish Permanent Representation and most recently the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as in international trade consultancy services.
Senthia De Buyst
Operations Manager & Policy Assistant
Senthia joined CIBO from White & Case LLP in January 2011, where she had worked on Channel Islands matters for 13 years.
As a result, Senthia has a good understanding of the Channel Islands’ relationship with the EU. Prior to that, she worked for several years in the Public Affairs Department at the European headquarters of a Japanese car manufacturer. Senthia started her professional career at the Belgo-Zaïrian commercial bank.
