Gibraltar and Post-Brexit

Cloudcity · 5 October 2022 13:56

The chairman of the Self Determination for Gibraltar Group on Tuesday called on the UN to send a visiting mission to Gibraltar to see for itself “what Gibraltar is about”.

In a speech to the UN Fourth Committee in New York, Richard Buttigieg said that despite the 30 years that have elapsed since the “so called” ‘last decade of decolonisation proclaimed by the UN, nothing had been done about Gibraltar.

“I understand that you may not want to offend third parties, but the visit is important,” Mr Buttigieg said.

“It would allow you to see what Gibraltar is about and would, I am sure, convince you that Gibraltar has done more than enough to be delisted.”

“And if we are wrong, you would at least be able to tell us so.”

“Yet no such visit has ever taken place. You will therefore forgive the people of Gibraltar for thinking that the United Nations does not care about us.”

“But you can prove us wrong by sending a visiting mission to Gibraltar.”

Mr Buttigieg said the people of Gibraltar were “remarkably resilient and tenacious” and would never give up their fight for self-determination.

He reminded the committee of the 1967 referendum in which Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain with Britain rather than pass under Spanish sovereignty.

“The people who made that decision did so in full knowledge of the consequences it might bring,” Mr Buttigieg said.

“And, unfortunately, they were proved right.”

“Instead of accepting the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Gibraltar, Spain commenced a political siege that impeded the flow of food and other essential supplies into our country as it closed the only land frontier between us and them.”

“A closure that led to the separation of entire families who were forced to live in different countries.”

But the SDGG added that “perhaps somewhat ironically” that period of hardship brought Gibraltarians closer together and helped forge the unique Gibraltarian identity.

“At the very heart of that identity, of our way of being, is a steadfast and unwavering desire to decide our own future,” he said.

“We do not wish unnecessary confrontation with anyone.”

“We do not seek to cause issues where there are none.”

“But we will never ever cease in our fight for self-determination.”

Cloudcity · 29 October 2022 12:58

Season 9 VIEWPOINT - Episode 6 - 27/10/22 - Brexit six years on: interview with Dr Joseph Garcia

52:33min

Cloudcity · 1 November 2022 16:23

In speech to ‘City slickers and banking supremos’, CM signals hopes for strong and stable post-Brexit relationship with Spain and EU

1st November 2022

By Brian Reyes in London

Gibraltar hopes for a stable and mature future relationship with Spain and the EU that will act as “a lightning rod” for investment in the Rock and the surrounding region, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told a packed event at the Guildhall on Monday.

Mr Picardo unsurprisingly offered no detail on the content of the ongoing talks but sketched out the hope for a deal expressed by all sides in the negotiation, despite its technical complexity and sensitivity.

He was addressing guests from Gibraltar and the City of London at the traditional finance centre lunch, part of the Gibraltar Day in London events which are back this year after being on hold since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were some 350 guests at the lunch, split roughly between a third from Gibraltar and two thirds from the City.

It was an opportunity to network too and strengthen relationships which in many cases stretch back many years if not decades.

The message from the Chief Minister was positive but realistic too. While signalling optimism about the treaty talks, Mr Picardo also made clear that Gibraltar was planning in case a deal was not possible.

“In turbulent times, there is nothing better for one of the smallest of the European territories than stability, efficiency and strong international relationships,” Mr Picardo said.

“And that is where we hope to position our future relationship with the EU and our neighbour Spain.”

“Away from the easy pejorative slogans of the past [and] moving to a mature and well thought out relationship that secures fluid movement of people across our frontier.”

“Creating, with your help, even more shared prosperity in Gibraltar and the region around us.”

Mr Picardo echoed the words of UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares that all sides were committed to delivering a treaty that “can put the spectres of the past behind us” while “respecting and not crossing each parties’ important concerns on sovereignty”.

The lunchtime event would normally be addressed by a UK Government minister but the upheaval of the past week in UK politics meant they instead heard from Sir Philip Barton, the permanent undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the UK’s most senior diplomat.

Sir Philip was no stranger to many in the room and is well versed in Gibraltar issues, having served as Deputy Governor during the period of the trilateral forum.

He underlined the UK Government’s “absolute commitment” to Gibraltar and thanked the Chief Minister for working in “absolute partnership” with the UK on the “complex and difficult” Brexit negotiation.
“These issues are technically difficult to resolve,” Sir Philip said.

“We're still hard at it, I'm confident we can work through them, I'm confident that we can do it, but it is tricky and it's political, both in Gibraltar and in Spain but also in the UK.”
“So thank you for the partnership because it is absolutely fundamental to a successful outcome.”

Sir Philip had a clear message on sovereignty too. The UK Government's long-standing position, he said, was “unflinching and unchanged and will not change”.

Both Sir Philip and the Chief Minister reflected on the past three years and how the UK had worked with Gibraltar to address the challenges of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both too reflected on the death of Queen Elizabeth and the Rock’s continued loyalty to the British Crown and King Charles III.

They also underlined the Rock’s capacity to adapt to new circumstances with resilience, a point also raised by Albert Isola, the Minister for Financial Services, who singled out the importance of Gibraltar’s continued access to the UK market and the crucial and supportive role of the private sector.

The Chief Minister stressed Gibraltar’s commitment to strong regulation, but also to developing new areas of business.

“We will be at the forefront of best international practice, whilst robustly maintaining and indeed developing the attractiveness of doing business in Gibraltar,” he said.

“Those established in Gibraltar must come to our fiscally competitive jurisdiction to add value to the services they provide to the clients they service in other jurisdictions.”

“We will not fall into the trap of being a place where anything is evaded or any regulatory requirement is avoided.”

“But we will keep Gibraltar growing as a first-tier business centre.”

Mr Picardo acknowledged the recent decision by the Financial Action Task Force to grey list Gibraltar, admitting it would impact the financial services sector but not jobs.

“We are not challenging the fairness of our grey listing. We respect the FATF decision,” he said.

“But the truth is that we do not believe that, objectively, Gibraltar deserves to be anything other than white listed.”

“By working with the FATF, with industry and with law enforcement, we sincerely believe that we will be able to resolve the issues that led to our grey listing in short order.”

“We are working for that to lead to early delisting, we hope as early as next 12 months.”

Mr Picardo told guests they might be wondering why a Socialist politician was wooing “City slickers and banking supremos”.

The answer, he said, was to go “beyond and behind the labels and the stereotypes” and ignore “dog-whistle politics” that had created problems in nations around the world.

He said Gibraltar sells “world class services” that created jobs at every level in its economy, and that those jobs created wealth for every sector and strata of Gibraltarian society and neighbouring communities.

“So with the current cost of living issues, it is even more important to be here, to attract and consolidate business and create more wealth so we make our public finances stronger more quickly and we create more jobs and have greater fire power to help the few that cannot make ends meet,” he said.

“That is the right thing to do.”

“Because you know, and I can assure you, that in Gibraltar the adults have consistently been in charge since the arrival of constitutional Government.”

“Each successive administration has understood, in their own way, the importance of our relationship with London both politically and commercially, and the importance of your sector to our socio-economic development.”
“So, although I cannot predict the future, I can assure you of continued mature and rational administration in Gibraltar.”

“No dog-whistle politics and no populism. The people of Gibraltar see through that.”

Cheeky-Monkey · 11 November 2022 07:54

Brexit News

They couldn't live without British money! Desperate Spain begs EU to allow UK holidaymakers to stay

They couldnt live without British money Desperate Spain begs EU to allow UK.

La Linea and Gibraltar also have a mutually beneficial relationship.

Cheeky-Monkey · 11 November 2022 08:03

Gibraltar seeks expansion of route network into the ‘Spanish hinterland’

A complex situation existing between the European Union, the UK and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar has isolated that territory from direct European air services since the UK left the EU.

Now, mindful of Gibraltar’s proximity to Spanish mainland vacation resort cities, the Gibraltar government is hopeful that the territory may be able to sign up to the Schengen Agreement before the end of 2022.

Gibraltar's Minister for Business and Tourism Vijay Daryanani said recently that an agreement for the British territory to enter the EU's Schengen area would make it more attractive for European airlines and enable an expansion of its route network. He added that Gibraltar] is attractive to European airlines as a gateway "in the hinterland into Spain", with "no other airport within a 50 kilometre radius".

That membership would mean not only the potential for direct services from European countries, but also much easier cross-border travel, expanding what is essentially a ‘city-break’ destination into a gateway for established Spanish vacation regions.

Significant progress made on Gibraltar Treaty but proposals need polishing...

Cloudcity · 15 December 2022 15:41

The European Commission on Friday reconfirmed its support for a UK/EU deal on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relations with the bloc, adding it was ready to “intensify further” the pace of the negotiation toward a deal.

The message came from Commission vice president Maroš Šefčovič, who leads the negotiation for Brussels, and followed a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

It also came after earlier statements on Wednesday in which the UK, Spain and Gibraltar also reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a treaty “as soon as possible”, despite remaining complex areas of disagreement that have so far made that goal unattainable.

In a tweet, Mr Šefčovič said the Commission “stands ready to intensify further the pace of [UK/EU] negotiations on Gibraltar”.

“I confirmed this commitment - as well as our support for the [Spain/UK] work towards a deal - to both [Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares] and [UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly] today.”

The statements from all four key parties in the negotiation signalled clearly that talks will continue into the New Year.

While negotiators had hoped to seal agreement by December 31, Mr Albares and Mr Cleverly said on Wednesday “there was never a firm deadline” set, although the Spanish Foreign Minister added too that the negotiation could not go on “eternally”.

The lack of tangible progress has proved frustrating for people on both sides of the border who had hoped for a pre-Christmas breakthrough that would dispel mounting uncertainty about the future.

Keith Azopardi, the Leader of the Opposition, was cutting in his assessment of the latest developments on Wednesday night.

“A bilateral and total damp squib of a press conference between the UK and Spanish foreign secretaries in respect of Gibraltar, raising expectations after 11 rounds of talks but showing not much progress at all,” he tweeted shortly after the press conferences in Madrid and Gibraltar.

“People will be disappointed at continuing uncertainty.”

But the two foreign ministers, and Mr Picardo too, had been at pains to stress the complexity of what is being negotiated, and to underscore the shared willingness to reach a successful conclusion, a position now reinforced too by Mr Šefčovič’s comment on Twitter.

“We are talking about very complex issues that involve different opinions,” Mr Albares said on Wednesday.

“But of course, I would never allow the negotiation to continue if I detected bad faith on the part of the United Kingdom or if there was still no credible progress.”

And he added: “Every time we have met there has been progress and today we are closer right now than at the start of the meeting.”

Mr Cleverly also stressed that “significant progress has been made”, adding “it’s important to state that”.

The Foreign Secretary said the UK would never enter into a deal that compromised Gibraltar’s British sovereignty, but insisted an agreement was possible that would respect each side’s longstanding red lines.

“The fact is there are still elements of it where we still have modest differences,” he said on Wednesday.

“Ultimately, it is always worth holding onto the most important element of this, which is our shared desire to seek resolution.”

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said that while there were still areas to be resolved, it would be easy given 300 years of history for the parties to step away from the talks.

Instead, he said, they were still at the table and intent on reaching agreement that could unlock “unprecedented economic growth”.

"Neither the rancour of the past or the nostalgia for the past will take us to the future,” he said on Wednesday.

"We all have to look forward, we have to look forward together."

"This area is already a dynamo [and] it can be a catalyst for even more growth.”

"We can achieve that, but we have to find a way around the final areas of disagreement."

"If this were easy, it would have been done already."

In Brussels on Thursday, the meeting between Mr Cleverly and Mr Šefčovič focused mainly on the Northern Ireland protocol deadlock.

Mr Cleverly welcomed “important discussions” with European Commission vice-president on post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.

He tweeted: “Thank you, @MarosSefcovic – more important discussions today.”

“We are determined to find a solution to the protocol that, above all else, protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.”

“Our teams continue to meet and I look forward to speaking again soon.”

Cloudcity · 28 December 2022 11:18

For cross-border workers, the optimism and commitment voiced recently by all parties in the UK/EU negotiation on a post-Brexit treaty for Gibraltar offer little comfort after years of uncertainty. Among the thousands who cross daily to work in jobs across the Rock’s economy, the fear is a ‘no deal’ scenario that risks undermining their livelihoods.

Earlier this month in a series of coordinated public statements, the UK, the EU, Spain and Gibraltar reaffirmed their commitment to the negotiation, even while holding back on detail or setting out any tangible progress.

There was no hiding that complex areas of disagreement remain, but the message was one of common purpose toward the shared goal of a so-called “area of shared prosperity”.

In the Campo as in Gibraltar, all eyes are on the coming weeks when negotiators are due to resume the talks in a bid to push through to agreement. There is no deadline, although busy political calendars and looming elections here and in Spain will add urgency.

Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, the PSOE mayor of San Roque, president of the Diputacion de Cadiz and the party’s general secretary in the province, earlier this week called on negotiators to show “greater courage” and reach a deal to protect the interests of communities on both sides of the border.

For the 15,000 workers resident in Spain who cross the border daily – some 10,000 of them Spanish nationals – and who in turn contribute significantly to the Campo economy, that is a plea that resonates.

One of the sectors that employs a significant number of cross-border workers is online gambling, with more than 500 people crossing the border every workday.

Among them is Jorge Gutiérrez, a Spanish national, working at one of the largest gaming firms in Gibraltar.

“My worst fear is losing my job due to a failure to reach an agreement and crossing the border becoming difficult,” he said.

“And that the businesses in my field cut the workforce or just relocate to another country because the conditions of a ‘no deal’ aren’t right for them.”

A hard Brexit “would be a serious blow to the economies of Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar,” he added.

Mr Gutierrez is worried too that workers’ rights should be protected by any treaty.

“I would like it if there was an agreement on taxes and access to healthcare,” he said.

“It is an opportunity to revise pension provisions for cross-border workers. It’s not fair that, ultimately, one person receives a poorer pension than the others.”

Mr Gutiérrez also lamented lost opportunities in recent years to foster and strengthen cross-border economic activities.

“For example, a great opportunity for La Línea and the rest of the Campo de Gibraltar to benefit economically from the online gaming industry is not being seized,” he said.

“On this matter, Ceuta has seen the opportunity and the number of people there employed in that industry has greatly expanded.”

“It would be very beneficial if routes to cooperation could be agreed, such as incentives for businesses to base themselves in the Campo de Gibraltar, and cross-border meetings and forums, not only in the online gambling industry but in others too.”

His colleague Pedro Caramelo also fears a ‘no deal’ with “crossing the border becoming more difficult for workers resident in Spain, making planning for the future more complicated.”

“That’s why I am hoping that there is an agreement and that it leads to fewer complications,” he said.

The great majority of cross-border workers make a living in Gibraltar’s hospitality, small business and construction sectors.

In a restaurant on Chatham Counterguard in the run-up to Christmas, a Spanish, Moroccan, Argentinian, Russian and Italian workforce discussed the latest developments on the treaty.

It was a conversation that was being echoed in other establishments.

For María Ángeles Delgado, a 56-year-old cook’s assistant from La Línea, the lack of solid information and detail is what worries her most.

“I think the biggest concern is that the majority of cross-border workers are not being kept informed about what is going to happen, or what is being debated at the negotiations, and that causes me a lot of worry,” she said.

Ms Delgado has worked in restaurants in Gibraltar for 18 months now and hopes an agreement is reached “that sorts out our healthcare coverage in Spain, our unemployment benefits, and keeps the border flowing.”

“It’s hard enough already with the airport, working out when to go across so that you don’t get caught by a closed-off runway and can be at work punctually,” she said.

Jennifer Reyes, a young Spanish national, is also very concerned about what the negotiations could bring.

“I have worked in Gibraltar for 15 years so far,” she said.

“I don’t understand much about Brexit, so I am very worried that I’ll lose my job, which is what we all rely on.”

But Elena, a 41-year-old Italian waitress, had a simpler, perhaps more hopeful stance on the situation.

“As an employee, I do not hope for or fear anything because we work here and we should continue to be able to work here,” she said.

“That is how I feel it should be, and how I think it will turn out.”

Cloudcity · 2 January 2023 19:51

Spain and the European Union “are ready for any scenario” in the treaty talks on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relations with the bloc, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, even while stressing his government “does not want” no deal.

Mr Albares made the comments in an interview with the Europa Press news agency which was widely published yesterday.

Mr Albares said Spain had presented a “reasonable, balanced” proposal in December.

And with negotiations set to resume in the coming weeks, he noted too that “we cannot be in this situation eternally”.

“The United Kingdom has to state clearly whether it accepts this agreement - which is global, covers all aspects of what the relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom in respect of Gibraltar should be, touches on all aspect for the creation of an area of shared prosperity – or what it does not want it,” Mr Albares said.

“In that case, evidently, another decision will have to be taken.”

“But Spain does not want the scenario of no agreement.”

“That’s why we’ve put forward an agreement that we are ready to sign tomorrow.”

“I would also point out that I do observe, on the other side, a constructive attitude, just as Spain has had from the outset.”

“The Government of Spain and the European Union…are ready for any scenario.”

Last month, the UK, the EU, Spain and Gibraltar reaffirmed their commitment to the negotiation, even while holding back on detail or setting out any tangible progress.

They made clear that complex areas of disagreement remain, but the message was one of common purpose toward the shared goal of reaching agreement.

Cloudcity · 3 January 2023 19:09

A “bad decision” in the Gibraltar treaty negotiation would hit workers and companies in the Campo de Gibraltar that rely on Gibraltar for their livelihoods, a leading Spanish union said on Tuesday, adding a ‘no deal’ outcome would be “a socioeconomic catastrophe”.

The Campo branch of Comisiones Obreras [CCOO] was reacting to an interview earlier this week in which Jose Manuel Albares, Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, said Spain and the EU were “ready for any scenario” in the talks, even while stressing: “Spain does not want the scenario of no agreement.”

The minister’s message received a lukewarm response from Manuel Triano, CCOO’s head in the Campo who also sits on the Cross-Frontier Group of unions and business representatives.

“It could be that Mr Albares considers that Spain is prepared for a breakdown without agreement of the negotiating process on relations between Gibraltar and the European Union,” Mr Triano said.

“What we’re unsure he has clarity on are what measures our country will adopt to mitigate the impact this eventuality would have on the Campo de Gibraltar economy.”

“We are conscious of the difficulties, but we cannot stop demanding of our politicians a solution that will allow everyone to overcome the state of uncertainty which thousands of people in this area have been living in for years.”

In a statement, the union said some 10,000 Spanish citizens crossed the border daily to work in Gibraltar, while “thousands more” worked for companies whose main clients were on the Rock.

It also noted that many businesses in the Campo, particularly in La Linea, relied on Gibraltarian clientele as a key part of their income.

“The Campo de Gibraltar in general and the city of La Linea in particular are not in a position to suffer another affront which, in the name of politics of state, risks a collapse in their difficult socioeconomic circumstances,” Mr Triano said.

“When the minister says Spain is ready for no deal, let him put faces to that and keep in mind that a bad decision could impact the lives of thousands of Campo citizens.”

A no deal outcome to the negotiation, he added, would be "a socioeconomic catastrophe".

In the interview with Europa Press news agency, Mr Albares said Spain and the EU had made a “reasonable, balanced” proposal in the negotiation.

But the UK and Gibraltar have made clear that aspects of that proposal, for example Spain’s aspiration for joint use of the airport, are unacceptable.

For now, the UK/EU negotiation is set to continue later this month.

In the run-up to Christmas after the 11th round of talks, the UK, the EU, Spain and Gibraltar reaffirmed their commitment to the negotiation, even while holding back on detail or setting out any tangible progress.

They made clear that complex areas of disagreement remain, but the message was one of common purpose toward the shared goal of reaching agreement.

All sides have said too that they will negotiate for as long as it takes and that there is no deadline.

But with general elections due this year in both Spain and Gibraltar, there is a sense of urgency to making progress, with Mr Albares stating on several occasions recently that the negotiation “cannot go on eternally”.

Cloudcity · 6 January 2023 10:15

A prominent academic in the Campo de Gibraltar said yesterday that “Spain is not ready for a no deal scenario”.

In a column in Europa Sur newspaper, Dr Jesus Verdu, a lecturer at the University of Cadiz and vice-rector of its Campo de Gibraltar campus, took issue with recent statements by Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Mr Albares said Spain and the European Union “are ready for any scenario” in the treaty talks on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relations with the bloc, even while stressing his government “does not want” no deal.

But on Thursday, Dr Verdu echoed concerns raised earlier this week by Manuel Triano, the head of the Comisiones Obreras [CCOO] union branch in the Campo, and said Mr Albares was mistaken to say the Campo was ready for no deal.

“Perhaps, from the distance of the ministry and in absolute theoretical terms, it is possible to defend that position,” Dr Verdu wrote.

“From the reality of the Campo de Gibraltar, the perspective is completely different.”

Mr Verdu said there had been sufficient time since the June 2016 referendum to “study, identify, define and try to anticipate and address” the negative impact of Brexit.

“It seems obvious that, given the consequences [of Brexit] across the EU, the two affected land borders would suffer the impact of leaving [the EU] with greater intensity,” he wrote.

Mr Verdu said Spanish authorities, in particular the state and the Junta de Andalucia, had not “planned adequately” or provided measures to mitigate the impact of Brexit on the Campo economy, which he said was heavily dependent on the Gibraltarian economy.

Even before Brexit, the Campo was “saddled” with the dual challenges of being a border area with a long-standing deficit in public investment.

“If there is no agreement, and given the lack of strategic planning by Spanish authorities, the Campo de Gibraltar will continue to be a territory with few opportunities; with the highest unemployment levels in Spain; 19th-century communication links that are totally obsolete; cross border workers in precarious conditions; [and] lamentable public services, [an area that is] easy prey for smuggling networks and illicit traffic,” he wrote.

“Of course, the agreement is not a magic wand that will resolve these shortcomings if the state and the Junta continue to forget this area, but without an agreement everything will be worse.”

“So no, Mr Minister, we are not prepared.”

Earlier this week, CCOO’s Mr Triano said a “bad decision” in the Gibraltar treaty negotiation would hit workers and companies in the Campo de Gibraltar that rely on Gibraltar for their livelihoods, adding a ‘no deal’ outcome would be “a socioeconomic catastrophe”.

And yesterday, an MP for Ciudadanos tabled a question in the Spanish Congress asking the Spanish Government what steps it was taking to cushion the impact of no deal on the Campo, including whether it would provide financial assistance.

Maria Carmen Martinez Granados cited research by the Elcano Institute which calculated that around 18.5% of the Campo’s GDP just before Brexit was generated by interactions with Gibraltar, adding that the area was one of the main economic engines in the Cadiz province economy.

She urged the government to reach an agreement soon to “leave behind the uncertainty over the relations between the Campo de Gibraltar and the Rock” and that this was “key for the future of this area, its residents and everyone in Cadiz [province]”.

She also asked for details on the state of the treaty negotiation and whether any agreement would be debated and voted on in the Spanish parliament before its ratification.

Cheeky-Monkey · 8 January 2023 19:38

Gibraltar Still Hasn't Got Brexit Done.

Gibraltar Still Hasnt Got Brexit Done!

Informative video on where Gibraltar and Spain stands concerning Brexit.

Cheeky-Monkey · 14 January 2023 14:45

“Spain could pay the price for the 90-day rule in the long term”

Campaign to scrap the 90/180 day rule gaining momentum

Mallorca home owner and leading British businessman Andrew Hesselden last year launched the ‘180 Days in Spain’ campaign to challenge the 90-day rule and see that this is changed, at least in Spain, and his efforts have gained massive momentum and widespread support from Britons across the UK and elsewhere in the European Union.

The fallout from Brexit is still raining down on millions of people, not least Britons who own second homes in Mallorca and Spain in general.

British businessman Andrew Hesselden launched the campaign to try to convince the Spanish and British governments to correct serious mistakes which have been made, such as the 90-day rule, which is affecting part-year residents and causing Britons currently in Mallorca a great deal of concern and even forcing some on the mainland to sell up and return to the UK.

“As Campaign Director for the ‘180 Days in Spain’ campaign (Redirecting...), it’s become a bit of a professional pro bono effort and we seem to have created something that’s got a lot of support now.

“We’re contacting Spanish and British politicians and asking for their help to ensure that the rights and interests of part-year residents in Spain are properly protected after Brexit.

“But the campaign is bigger than that because, at the same time, we also hope to alleviate some of the current travel woes for all British visitors to Spain that were caused by Brexit; specifically by the choices the UK government made and their continued and ongoing inaction on the matter.

Cloudcity · 16 January 2023 13:51

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo set out in stark terms the implications of Brexit for British passport holders crossing the border into Spain, making clear leaving the EU meant they were no longer entitled as of right to cross into the Schengen area.

He made the statement recently in Parliament in response to GSD questions on the difficulties experienced by some non-resident British air passengers who were turned back because their boarding cards did not show their flight had been diverted to the Spanish airport.

The GSD questioned why the difficulties arose given Britons were “perfectly entitled” to enter the Schengen zone.

But Mr Picardo said that assessment was wrong and while British nationals were able to enter Schengen without a visa, they were required to justify the reasons for the trip and were not allowed in automatically, as was the case when the UK and Gibraltar were EU members.

“It is a complete misnomer to think that because we are not visa-requiring nationals - because British citizens are not visa-requiring nationals - that we are entitled to enter Schengen,” Mr Picardo said.

"Those days are gone. Brexit did for that."

"We are no longer European citizens, we do not have the right to access the Schengen immigration zone."

After the issue flared up last month following difficulties experienced by passengers on several flights, the UK and Gibraltar liaised with Spain and found a solution to the problem.

To avoid difficulties, the airlines in question re-issued passengers with Malaga boarding cards, an arrangement that has been used since and is being accepted by the Spanish authorities.

"I have received assurances directly from the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Señor Fernando Grande Marlaska, that the Spanish authorities at the border will continue to accept a boarding pass for a diverted Gibraltar flight departing from Malaga as a valid reason for entering the Schengen area," the Chief Minister said.

"Additionally, passenger manifests will be provided to ensure accurate data is available containing those who are coming into Schengen because they are booked on a diverted flight."

"Any suggestion that British citizens require any sort of visa to enter the Schengen area for less than 90 days is nonsensical and has no basis in European law."

"May I add that in all my communications with him, Señor Grande Marlaska has always sought to be helpful and has shown a regard for the well-being of people who may have to cross the frontier for all legitimate reasons, although his very positive attitude may not always filter through to the front line."

GSD MP Damon Bossino had asked why there was a need for the boarding pass and why Spanish authorities had not allowed them "simply" to cross over and stamp them in the usual way, once entering Schengen via La Linea, then again as they exited through Malaga.

He was backed in that question by fellow GSD MP Daniel Feetham, who had been on one of the affected flights and described how he regretted not making that point at the border when non-resident British nationals faced difficulties.

"One of the things that I regret not doing at the time is saying to those Spanish police officers 'but how can it be, it has nothing to do with a boarding pass, British passport holders are perfectly entitled to cross?'" Mr Feetham said.

"Nothing should have prevented them from actually going into the Schengen area.”

"They could have been stamped and they could have stamped coming out at Malaga when they left."

But Mr Picardo said that assessment was flawed.

"A British citizen is not entitled to enter Schengen," Mr Picardo said.

"Those days are gone."

"Whether we are stamped or not, we are not entitled to enter Schengen."

"You have to understand that, because it's fundamental to understanding how we resolve issues that British citizens, whether they are resident in Gibraltar or not, may have crossing the Gibraltar/Spain frontier into Schengen."

"We are able to access the Schengen area without a visa if we can prove what we are going to do and we have evidence that that is what we are going to do."

"In some instances, one may need proof of a reservation to go and do a thing, and one may need proof of one's ability to sustain oneself within the Schengen area for that period."

"So if you say 'I am going to catch a flight', and you do not have evidence that you are going to catch a flight, in particular because you do not have a booking that leaves Malaga airport because your flight was not ever intended to leave Malaga airport, you may be asked to prove that you are on a diverted aircraft and that you have a boarding pass for that diverted aircraft."

Since the end of the Brexit transition period, non-resident British passport holders, and those who live here but do not possess a red ID card, require their passports to be stamped when entering and leaving the Schengen area even for short trips, and are routinely asked to justify their reason for travel in line with Schengen rules.

British nationals with red ID cards are allowed to cross without the extra scrutiny as part of temporary measures by Spain pending the outcome of talks for a UK/EU treaty on the Rock’s future relations with the bloc.

Cloudcity · 18 January 2023 12:34

Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, said this week that “we are very close to the deal” on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relations with the EU.

He was speaking to the Reuters news agency on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"I see a constructive spirit from the British side on the agreement related to Gibraltar," he told Reuters.

"I think we are very close to the deal. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, but from the meetings I had with (British Foreign Secretary) James Cleverly I see that we both want the agreement and are really working on it.”

He did not give Reuters a timeframe for reaching agreement, however.

"My experience with Brexit is that any timetable has never been respected," he said.

Last December Mr Albares said UK/EU negotiators would meet “as many times as necessary” to achieve the “shared objective” of a treaty that would lay the foundations for an area of shared post-Brexit prosperity between Gibraltar and the Campo.

But he cautioned too that the talks “cannot be prolonged indefinitely”.

He was speaking after the UK, Spain, Gibraltar and the European Commission all publicly reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a treaty “as soon as possible”, despite remaining complex areas of disagreement that have so far made that goal unattainable.

This week, the Cross Frontier Group – which brings together unions and business organisations from both sides of the border - called on the negotiating parties to “immediately” reach an agreement that will lift the uncertainty that communities on both sides of the border have faced for over two years.

The plea was set out in an open letter addressed to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission.

“During the two years that have elapsed since the signing of the ‘New Year's Eve Agreement’, we have followed with expectation the negotiating process to convert that commitment into an international treaty,” wrote George Dyke, the President of the Cross Frontier Group, in the letter sent on behalf of the group’s members.

“However, the successive delays and the scant information received have caused notable unease among the thousands of citizens and businesses, whose future is significantly linked to the achievement of an agreement.”

“The current state of affairs on this matter and the uncertainty caused by the contradictory news emanating from the negotiating process are subjecting the citizens of our area to stress, that we believe should be stopped immediately, through an agreement that allows for the promised and longed-for reality of ‘Shared Prosperity’ and the dismantling of the border crossing for citizens and goods.”

“The entities that make up this Cross Frontier Group are firmly convinced that any scenario without an agreement would be devastating for the interests of the citizens of the Campo de Gibraltar and Gibraltar, and would mean a huge political failure for those involved in the process for which they will have to take responsibility.”

Cloudcity · 18 January 2023 12:37

The union, business and economic entities that make up the Cross Frontier Group: On the Spanish side: Comisiones Obreras, Union General de Trabajadores, Asociacion de Pequeña y Mediana Empresa de La Linea, AADELL, Confederacion de Empresas de la Provincia de Cádiz and Camara de Comercio del Campo de Gibraltar, and on the Gibraltar side: Unite the Union, NASUWT (Gibraltar Teachers Union), Gibraltar General and Clerical Association, Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses and The Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce; have for years now demanded an agreement between governments that would allow us to maintain and enhance the levels of cross-frontier cooperation in our area, safeguarding the living and working conditions of it’s citizens.

That is why when, on December 31, 2020, we received the news of a political agreement between government representatives, known as the "New Year's Eve Agreement", we breathed a sigh of relief, since we had been defending the need for it and had been working for months from the conviction that a "no agreement was not an option." An agreement that clearly leaves aside issues related to the dispute over sovereignty, and which provided answers to the demands of the citizenship.

We have always been aware of the difficulties of the Brexit negotiating process and the particularities of the only continental land border affected by it. This is why we had welcomed the agreement that had been reached. Although it was not the end of the road, it did set out a route that, although not exempt from difficulties, was worth following..

During the two years that have elapsed since the signing of the "New Year's Eve Agreement", we have followed with expectation the negotiating process to convert that commitment into an international treaty. However the successive delays and the scant information received have caused notable unease among the thousands of citizens and businesses, whose future is significantly linked to the achievement of an agreement.

The current state of affairs on this matter and the uncertainty caused by the contradictory news emanating from the negotiating process are subjecting the citizens of our area to stress, that we believe should be stopped immediately, through an agreement that allows

for the promised and longed-for reality of “Shared Prosperity” and the dismantling of the border crossing for citizens and goods.

The entities that make up this Cross Frontier Group are firmly convinced that any scenario without an agreement would be devastating for the interests of the citizens of the Campo de Gibraltar and Gibraltar, and would mean a huge political failure for those involved in the process for which they will have to take responsibility.

We consider it opportune, at this delicate moment in the negotiating process, that the political leaders should be made aware of the feelings of civil society and that they should make every effort to respond to their concerns, which involves giving effect to what was agreed in the "New Year's Eve Agreement", in a legal document that provides the necessary legal framework upon which to deepen the economic and social cooperation between both communities.

• Given the foregoing, the entities that make up this Cross Frontier Group address all the parties participating in the negotiating process - European Commission, Government of Spain, Government of the United Kingdom and Government of Gibraltar - and urge them once again to reach an agreement, in the form of a treaty, which develops the spirit and letter of the "New Year's Eve Agreement".

• At the same time, we call on you all to develop this with the objective of completing a legal framework that allows for maintenance and improvement of the economic, social and cultural relations between both communities. And that this new framework of relations should allow for the future development and cooperation between Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar, in the desired and promised "Area of Shared Prosperity" and the disappearance of the border crossing that weighs heavily on our demand for progress is this regard.

Given the foregoing, we write to share our concerns and desires, as well as to request a meeting with you or with the person you designate, in order to be able to further delve into these issues.

George Dyke is the President of the Cross Frontier Group. This is the text of an open letter sent by the Cross Frontier Group to the Prime Ministers of the UK and Spain, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, and the President of the European Commission.

D.Freeman · 18 January 2023 19:36

What dose this mean please.

Cloudcity · 18 January 2023 19:45

Please see this thread:- Gibraltar-La Linea Border

In short it relates to the Brexit deal between the UK and the EU regarding Gibraltar, which has not been ratified yet.