The Treaty of Canterbury established the legal framework for the Channel Tunnel, modifying UK-France national borders and creating the first fixed undersea link between the two countries.
Key Facts
- Signing date
- 12 February 1986
- Signed at
- Canterbury Cathedral, UK
- Concession Agreement signed
- 14 March 1986
- Original concession duration
- 55 years years
- Extended concession end year
- 2086
- Concessionnaires
- France Manche and Channel Tunnel Group
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Long-standing proposals for a fixed undersea link between the United Kingdom and France had existed for centuries but were never realised. By the mid-1980s, political will under Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand aligned to make a privately financed tunnel project viable, requiring a formal international treaty to govern borders, governance, and arbitration.
The Treaty of Canterbury was signed on 12 February 1986 by UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe, French President François Mitterrand, and Foreign Minister Roland Dumas. The treaty authorised the concession for a privately operated fixed undersea link, drew a new land frontier between the two nations at the tunnel's midpoint, and established an Intergovernmental Commission and Safety Authority to oversee construction and operations.
A month after the treaty, the Concession Agreement of 14 March 1986 entrusted France Manche and the Channel Tunnel Group with designing, financing, building, and operating the tunnel for 55 years, later extended to 2086. This created the legal and financial structure that led to the construction and eventual opening of the Channel Tunnel, the first fixed link between Britain and continental Europe.
Political Outcome
Treaty signed; concession granted to private companies for construction and 55-year operation of the Channel Tunnel, with governance structures and a revised UK-France border established.