MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British OTs Attorneys General Conference in Cayman, the last before UK leaves the EU

This year’s gathering is one of the most important in the conference’s history, as it’s the last one before the United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the European Union

The two-day Overseas Territories Attorneys General Conference 2019 kicked off Tuesday morning, with AGs and other delegates from 13 jurisdictions gathering in Cayman to discuss issues of mutual interest. The issues scheduled to be discussed included Brexit, anti-corruption, natural disasters, criminal justice and human rights.

“It’s an invaluable opportunity for us to exchange views and experiences, as well as to formulate and implement action plans that are of vital importance to the legal systems of our respective jurisdictions,” said Cayman Attorney General Samuel Bulgin.

This year’s gathering is one of the most important in the conference’s history, as it’s the last one before the United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the European Union, according to U.K. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.

Mr. Cox was originally scheduled to attend the conference, but was unable to because the crucial stage of Brexit negotiations prevented him from traveling, said Cayman Governor Martyn Roper.

Mr. Roper read a statement on Mr. Cox’s behalf, stating that the U.K. is “committed to securing a deal that works for the whole British family, including the overseas territories.”

Bulgin said Brexit will be the main topic of focus for the overseas territories and Crown dependencies, some of which receive funding from the EU.

“Some territories do get funds from EU, and we’re trying to figure out how to preserve that,” he said.

At the end of the two-day event, the jurisdictions will likely formulate a list of recommendations for how to move forward with the issues discussed.

“The issues we discuss are common to most of the territories, so the recommendations apply to all the … OTs and CDs,” Mr. Bulgin said.

Along with Cayman and the U.K., other participating jurisdictions include the U.S., Canada, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, the Falkland Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.