The Treaty of Canterbury was signed on 12 February 1986 by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe, French President François Mitterrand and Foreign Secretary Roland Dumas and is the original document providing for the underwater tunnel between the two countries. [1] [2] [3] The Treaty is important and unusual because it represents a modern and recent change in the national borders of the United Kingdom and France. Similar proposals made in the past have never been realized. France/United Kingdom – Channel Tunnel fixed link – Concession contract between the United Kingdom and France and the concessionaires (The Channel Tunnel Group Limited and France-Manche S.A.) for the construction, financing, construction and operation of a fixed link across the Channel between the United Kingdom and France. The regulation of the Government Commission on the use of the Channel Tunnel (English and French) requires third parties to access the tracks. The concession agreement is a binding agreement between the United Kingdom and French governments entrusting France Manche and the Channel Tunnel Group with the design, financing, construction and operation of the Channel Tunnel for a period of 55 years. The concession was then extended until 2086. The annexes to the Agreement deal with specific aspects, including the purchase and sale of immovable property, insurance obligations and the exercise of the right of representation. The substitution right provides for the temporary transfer of transactions to two entities under the control of the creditors who financed the tunnel so that they can be repaid. Substitution can only be exercised in certain cases of failure of Eurotunnel and requires the non-objection of both governments. [1] The Anglo-French Treaty on the Channel Tunnel was signed by both governments at Canterbury Cathedral. The contract prepared the concession for the construction and operation of the fixed link by private companies. It describes the methods to be used for arbitration in the event of a dispute.
It set up the Government Commission (IGC), responsible for supervising all matters relating to the construction and operation of the tunnel on behalf of the British and French Governments, as well as a safety authority to advise the Intergovernmental Conference. The treaty establishes a land border between the two countries in the middle of the tunnel – the first of its kind. [1] The Treaty of Canterbury was followed a month later by the concession contract signed on 14 March 1986. [1] Visit the website of the Intergovernmental Channel Tunnel Commission (IGC) for more information on the legal framework of the Channel Tunnel. In particular, the agreement shall specify the purpose of the concession and the conditions applicable to its termination. France&UK_Channel Tunnel Fixed Link Concession Agreement_EN.pdf. . . .