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EU statement may force Gibraltar to leave without a transition period
| Published: | 14 Nov at 6 PM |
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It seems EU bureaucrats have confirmed that Gibraltar will not be given a Brexit transition period, forcing it out of the EU’s customs union and single market immediately the UK leaves.
Brussels’ position on Gibraltar is that its future must be decided in meetings between the UK and Spain in order to be allowed a transition period after the UK leaves the EU. The bloc’s stance clearly indicates it doesn’t want to get involved and is happy to sell Gibraltar’s residents, whether expats or citizens, down the river. Once the UK leaves the union, it stated, the agreement between Europe and the UK will not apply to the Rock.
The position of Gibraltar’s parliament is that it is ready and willing to start productive technically-based talks with all parties involved, stressing its wish for cooperation and its progress in preparation for leaving the bloc. Even so, senior parliamentarians are convinced many obstacles lie in the way of an agreement.
To date, the Gibraltarian parliament is focusing on the need to ensure adequate food supplies post-Brexit, as well as finding a solution which will allow some 15,000 workers their daily entries across the border between the Rock and Spain. Another issue is waste disposal, as all the Rock’s waste is delivered to a landfill facility in Spain. In addition, the shadow of Spain’s endless attempts to claw Gibraltar back as part of Spain darkens the situation, even although it's a long-held dream totally rejected by the Rock’s lawmakers, expats and residents, 96 per cent of whom voted to stay in the EU.
Brussels’ position on Gibraltar is that its future must be decided in meetings between the UK and Spain in order to be allowed a transition period after the UK leaves the EU. The bloc’s stance clearly indicates it doesn’t want to get involved and is happy to sell Gibraltar’s residents, whether expats or citizens, down the river. Once the UK leaves the union, it stated, the agreement between Europe and the UK will not apply to the Rock.
The position of Gibraltar’s parliament is that it is ready and willing to start productive technically-based talks with all parties involved, stressing its wish for cooperation and its progress in preparation for leaving the bloc. Even so, senior parliamentarians are convinced many obstacles lie in the way of an agreement.
To date, the Gibraltarian parliament is focusing on the need to ensure adequate food supplies post-Brexit, as well as finding a solution which will allow some 15,000 workers their daily entries across the border between the Rock and Spain. Another issue is waste disposal, as all the Rock’s waste is delivered to a landfill facility in Spain. In addition, the shadow of Spain’s endless attempts to claw Gibraltar back as part of Spain darkens the situation, even although it's a long-held dream totally rejected by the Rock’s lawmakers, expats and residents, 96 per cent of whom voted to stay in the EU.
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