Picardo has already given away greater rights, says GSD

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 Friday, February 28, 2020 - 11:12

The statement by the Chief Minister on GBC that the Government would never accept “a two-tier process at the frontier that [give] Spanish workers or European workers generally easier access to Gibraltar than Gibral-tarians have to Spain” is simply untrue because they have already precisely agreed that in the Withdrawal Agreement.

The GSD adds that this and the MOU on Citizens Rights recognize that frontier workers will have rights beyond the transitional period. There are no enduring rights of freedom of movement beyond the end of the transitional period for Gibraltarians who live and work here to go across to Spain.

The compilation of lists of Spanish workers apparently for the purpose of facilitating their smooth passage across the frontier can inevitably lead to a two-tier system of passage. Why else would they be compiled?

The Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “The fact that the lists will contain a tiny number of Gibral-tarians who may work in Spain is hardly a cause for celebration for the vast remainder of the population. It is obvious that enduring rights for frontier workers is not something that will benefit the vast majority of the population who reside and work here and want to have equal rights of freedom of movement. These however have not been secured by Mr Picardo beyond 31 December 2020 unlike the case of frontier workers. Is this Mr Picardo’s interpretation of safely and securely negotiating our future post BREXIT?

"The Government needs to stop trying to paint things in a way that they are not. Rather than talking up the deficient MOUs that they negotiated they need to focus on damage limitation and obtaining beneficial agreements as to the future.”

28-02-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR