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careerfinders · 6 years

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UK objects to EU’s ‘irrelevant’ reference to Gibraltar as ‘a colony’ in visa-free travel proposal

The UK has objected to Gibraltar being described as a “colony” in draft European Union legislation allowing UK nationals to travel to the EU without visas after Brexit.

Proposals that would mean Britons do not require a visa for short visits to the EU after Brexit, even in the event of no deal, are a step closer to being rubber-stamped.

EU ambassadors have agreed that British citizens – including those from Gibraltar – travelling to the Schengen area for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period should be granted visa-free travel.

But the Spanish Government is pushing for the inclusion of a footnote in the draft legislation describing Gibraltar as a “colony” and referring to “controversy” over its status.

The text of the footnote reads: “Gibraltar is a colony of the British Crown. There is a controversy between Spain and the United Kingdom concerning the sovereignty over Gibraltar, a territory for which a solution has to be reached in light of the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly of the United Nations.”

The UK’s ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, objected to it at a meeting in Brussels earlier.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman insisted Gibraltar was not a “colony”.

Gibraltar was defined as a “crown colony” when Britain joined the European bloc in 1973 but London reclassified it as a “British overseas territory” in 2002.

“Gibraltar is not a colony and it is completely inappropriate to describe in this way,” a spokeswoman for the UK Government said.

“Gibraltar is a full part of the UK family.”

The text agreed by the 27 governments will be discussed by the European Parliament and the EU executive in order to finalise a regulation giving Britons visa-free access.

The row highlights the fact that even before Brexit has been given effect, the EU is lining up behind Spain on issues relating to Gibraltar.

Recalling how EU policy on Gibraltar had so far largely favoured Britain, which joined the bloc before Spain, a senior EU official told Reuters recently: “Now the table has turned.”

“The Union position…was the British position..,” the official said.

“But with Brexit, the Union position is now the Spanish position.”

“We will always take the side of a member against a non-member.”

There is, however, concern among other EU members that Madrid’s hard line could disrupt efforts to ease Britain out of the bloc.

EU diplomats point to the issue as one of those that could fray the unity the 27 have shown in negotiations up to now.

The Gibraltar Government said the international legal status of Gibraltar was not a matter of argument, but rather of fact.

Gibraltar is listed on the list of non-self-governing territories maintained by the United Nations.

The Government of Gibraltar and the UK Government are both on record as having said that Gibraltar should be removed from this list through the exercise of the right to self-determination of the people of Gibraltar.

“The irony is that it is Spain itself that is keeping Gibraltar on the UN list and then using our presence there to label Gibraltar as a ‘colony’,” No.6 Convent Place said in a statement.

“This demonstrates the importance of annual attendance at the sessions of the C-24 in New York each June, which the GSLP/Liberal Government is committed to and which the GSD administration had abandoned.”

“The use of such language, were it to materialise in the final documents, does not assist the creation a climate of understanding and trust between Gibraltar and Spain as we prepare to leave the EU.”

“In fact, it would achieve the very opposite and serve to engender more conflict as opposed to more cooperation.”

“It is, in any case, totally irrelevant to our departure from the European Union and says more about Spain’s anachronistic obsession with Gibraltar than it does about anything else.”

“This is totally out of place in the modern Europe of today.”

The draft EU text states that the visa-free travel arrangements “…will not cover British overseas territories citizens who have acquired their citizenship from a connection with Gibraltar.”

Gibraltarians are entitled to full British citizenship – and most hold British citizen passports – meaning they will benefit from the measure.

In any event, the final text of the proposal for visa-free travel has yet to be formally approved and adopted.

The final text of the proposal for visa-free travel has yet to be rubber stamped.

A statement issued by the Council of the EU said: “Ambassadors mandated the Council Presidency to start negotiations with the European Parliament on this legislative proposal.”

“According to EU rules, visa exemption is granted on condition of reciprocity.”

“The government of the United Kingdom has stated that it does not intend to require a visa from EU citizens travelling to the UK for short stays.”

“In the event that the United Kingdom introduces a visa requirement for nationals of at least one member state in the future, the existing reciprocity mechanism would apply and the three institutions and the member states would commit to act without delay in applying the mechanism.”

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Gaming company William Hill has no plans to leave Gibraltar whatever happens with Brexit

Gaming company William Hill has no plans to leave Gibraltar, whatever happens with Brexit.

In answer to GBC questions, it says the Rock will remain its UK and Ireland hub.

In November, GBC reported the company was reviewing over 100 jobs in Gibraltar, London and Leeds. It's confirmed the review is ongoing, although a number of people have been re-deployed into existing vacancies. The process is expected to be completed next month.

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careerfinders · 6 years

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pain and the European Union were told unequivocally yesterday that Gibraltar’s British sovereignty will never be bartered against the wishes of its people and that the Rock must be included in any future relationship agreed by the UK and the EU after Brexit.

The message was delivered almost simultaneously by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo in the Gibraltar Parliament and Prime Minister Theresa May in the House of Commons.

It came as negotiators in Brussels agreed a text for the proposed political declaration that accompanies the Withdrawal Agreement and sets out a framework for talks on future EU/UK relations.

European Council president Donald Tusk announced that the text had been agreed in draft form by EU and UK negotiators and “agreed in principle at political level”.

A leaked copy of the draft text made no mention of Gibraltar, despite threats from Spain that it would vote against the Withdrawal Agreement and the declaration unless they specified that Gibraltar’s inclusion in any future arrangements between the UK and the EU must first be decided directly by officials in Madrid and London.

London and Brussels are loathe to reopen the draft agreement and or the declaration to entertain last-minute objections raised by individual EU member states.

Although they do not state so openly, some officials believe the Spanish position is driven more by party political concerns ahead of regional elections in Andalucia on December 2, rather than genuine concern about the future negotiation.

Gibraltar’s absence from the leaked copy of the political declaration was taken as by Spanish opposition parties as a snub by Brussels to the Socialist government of Pedro Sanchez.

In London, Mrs May told the Commons that she had spoken to Mr Sanchez and made the UK’s position clear.

“We have been working constructively with the governments of Spain and Gibraltar in the negotiations on the withdrawal agreement and we want this work to continue in the future relationship,” Mrs May said.

“But I was absolutely clear that Gibraltar’s British sovereignty will be protected and that the future relationship we agree must work for the whole UK family.”

In Gibraltar, the Chief Minister reinforced that message for the avoidance of any doubt.

“Brexit is a bad thing for the whole of Europe,” Mr Picardo said.

“Brexit without an agreement for orderly agreed withdrawal would be even worse for the whole of Europe.”

“And for us, Brexit is as bad an idea today in reality as when it was in theory at the time of the Referendum.”

“But so for us, it is always best that we stick with Britain despite Brexit.”

“We have stuck with Britain in the past. And we will stick with Britain in the future.”

There was support too from the Opposition bench in the Gibraltar Parliament, where the Leader of the Opposition, GSD MP Elliott Phillips, said expressed concern about speculation that Spain might raise joint sovereignty during negotiations for the future relationship.

“From these benches, that is entirely unacceptable to Her Majesty’s Opposition, and to the people of Gibraltar,” he said.

“The position of the Spanish Government raises further concerns as to [its] commitment to adhere to any agreement over Gibraltar.”

“For now we reserve our assessment until such time as the position becomes clearer but continue to express our misgivings.”

“I am sure that we share the dismay of the whole House that Spain should be seeking to exclude Gibraltar from the negotiations on the future relationship with the EU until it gains a political advantage.”

“The [Gibraltar] Government will need to remain vigilant that nothing is changed in the current text of the Withdrawal Agreement to further undermine Gibraltar’s position.”

PARALLEL AGREEMENTS

The controversy over Madrid’s objections to the Withdrawal Agreement came as Gibraltar, the UK and Spain finalised parallel work on agreements that will provide a framework for cooperation between Gibraltar and Spain after Brexit.

Mr Picardo briefed the Cabinet and the Brexit Select Committee on that package of measures, which he and his team had finalised with the UK and Spain in Madrid this week.

The package includes four memorandums of understanding on citizens’ rights, tobacco market access, cooperation on environmental issues and cooperation on police and customs matters.

There is also a tax treaty that sets out provisions on fiscal transparency and tax residency rules of the type found in a double taxation or information exchange agreement.

Gibraltar has such agreements with many other countries and has long sought one with Spain, Mr Picardo said.

All of those agreements are now “virtually complete, subject to a common final political agreement” Mr Picardo told Parliament.

The Chief Minister expects to make a ministerial statement on the nature and effect of those measures next week, once the European Council has reached final agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement and political declaration on the future relationship.

“Nothing in these documents compromises any of our red lines,” Mr Picardo said.

“Nothing in them alters in any way whatsoever our Constitution and constitutional competences.”

“There are and there will be no concessions on matters of sovereignty, jurisdiction or control.”

“In fact, they are expressly arrangements entered into without prejudice to all sovereignty positions.”

“Neither do these documents require us to do things that we have any problem in doing.”

All of the MoUs – except for the tax treaty and the agreement on citizens’ rights – create obligations only until the end of December 2020, or the end of the 21-month transition period. “Unless we agree otherwise, they drop dead then,” Mr Picardo said.

The Chief Minister told Parliament that “nothing has been imposed” on Gibraltar and that everything agreed would be implemented in line with the Gibraltar Constitution.

“All the commitments entered into, whether under the Protocol or the MoUs concerning Gibraltar, have been negotiated by Gibraltar and the United Kingdom together,” he said.

“They are commitments entered into only as a result of the consent of the Cabinet of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar having been expressly given.”

“The Government is the guardian of the Constitution as much as this legislature or the judiciary may be.”

“We would not have countenanced agreeing to anything which might have resulted in our constitutional order somehow being compromised.”

SPANISH VIEWPOINT

Unsurprisingly perhaps, there was a different interpretation of the agreements in the Spanish Congress in Madrid, where Spain’s state secretary for European affairs, Marco Aguiriano, briefed Spanish MPs on the latest Brexit developments, including the agreements with Gibraltar.

Mr Aguiriano left no doubt that Spain believes the Gibraltar Protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement gives Spain a role in how certain EU laws are applied to Gibraltar.

“It is the first time that any primary EU legislation will recognise Spain’s involvement, and its right to be consulted, on certain aspects of the application of EU law on the Rock,” he said.

He also sketched out the content of the various agreements that stemmed from the protocol.

He said the tax treaty would tackle “tax fraud” and “unfair competition”, while the agreement on citizens’ rights would protect the interests of cross-border workers who, he said, would benefit from the same rights as Gibraltarian workers.

He spoke too of tobacco, letting slip that the memorandum including a commitment that the differential between prices in Gibraltar and Spain would be “no more than 32%” by June 2020.

On the environment, he said the agreement would establish a technical committee for cooperation and enable Spanish artisanal fishermen to fish with “absolute normality”, as well as implement a moratorium on reclamation through to the end of the transition period.

The last memorandum on police and customs cooperation sought to coordinate efforts to tackle organised crime in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar, a shared goal of all three governments.

Last night, the Gibraltar Government was closely monitoring the statements made in the Spanish Congress by Mr Aguiriano, who was still speaking as this edition went to press.

However, questioned by the Chronicle, a spokesman for No.6 Convent Place said Mr Aguiriano was giving the agreements a spin that was not based on fact.

“The statements from Sr Aguiriano are not based on any possible proper interpretation of the texts,” the spokesman said.

“The publication of the MoUs will demonstrate this.”

“There is nothing in any of them or the Protocol which will allows Spain to be consulted in any way about the implementation of EU law in Gibraltar.”

“His description of the content of the various agreements on tax, citizens’ rights, environment and tobacco is also off the mark, not least because much of what he describes is already in place under EU laws.”

DIALOGUE

Despite the different messaging in Gibraltar and Madrid, Mr Picardo said Gibraltar remained committed dialogue and cooperation that respected red lines on sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The Chief Minister told Parliament that without Gibraltar’s inclusion in the Withdrawal Agreement, the Rock would not be covered by the transitional arrangements designed to cushion the blow of exit from the bloc.

Mr Picardo added too that it was time to consider what type of future relationship Gibraltar wanted with Spain, “our geographic gateway to Europe”.

Gibraltar, he said, had more reasons for cooperation or discussion with Spain than with any other remaining EU nations.

“So we wish to continue, in our discussions about the future, to engage directly with Spain also in the spirit of cooperation and positive engagement we have enjoyed in this withdrawal phase of the negotiations,” Mr Picardo said.

“No one should think that we read any part of the Withdrawal Agreement in any way that would persuade us to avoid that genuine, human and political reality.”

“Nobody needs a veto to bring us to the table.”

“At this critical time in Europe’s history, Gibraltar can be the strongest foundation stone for a future relationship between the UK and the EU, not a rock on the road to agreement.”

“That is our firm commitment and resolve.”

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Brexit case to continue to European court after appeal bid rejected

The European Court will be asked if the UK can unilaterally stop Brexit after the UK Government was refused an appeal by Scotland’s highest court.

The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled in September to refer the question of whether the UK can unilaterally revoke its Article 50 request to leave the European Union to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) after a case brought by a cross-party group of politicians.

A date had been set for November 27 but the UK Government made an application for permission to appeal the ruling to the UK Supreme Court.

Lord Carloway, Scotland’s most senior judge and Lord President of the Court of Session, refused the application on Thursday and the case will proceed to the CJEU in the current timescale.

The initial case had been brought by a cross-party group of politicians: Labour MEPs Catherine Stihler and David Martin, Joanna Cherry MP and Alyn Smith MSP of the SNP and Green MSPs Andy Wightman and Ross Greer, together with lawyer Jolyon Maugham QC, director of the Good Law Project.

After the case, Mr Maugham tweeted: “The Government’s last-ditch effort to block our attempt to empower Parliament to act in the national interest has failed. Application for permission to appeal refused – and the end of the line for the Government.

“The Government must now focus on meeting the promises made to voters in the Referendum campaign. If it cannot deliver that deal the people must be asked again – because it has no mandate to drive the country off a cliff.”

The decision from Lord Carloway in September overturned an earlier ruling when it was said the question being asked was “hypothetical” and the conditions for a reference had not been met.

But Lord Carloway said it was “clear” MPs at Westminster would be required to vote on any Brexit deal agreed by the EU and the UK Government.

In his September judgment, Lord Carloway was clear the CJEU would not be advising Parliament on “what it must or ought to do”.

Instead, he said it would be “merely declaring the law as part of its central function”, adding that “how Parliament chooses to react to that declarator is entirely a matter for that institution”.

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careerfinders · 6 years

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No-deal Brexit could slam brakes on growth, says think tank

A no-deal Brexit could slam the brakes on the UK’s economic growth, wiping out Chancellor Philip Hammond’s hopes of boosting public spending, a think tank has said.

If the UK fails to reach a withdrawal deal with the EU and moves on to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules next March, GDP growth can be expected to slow sharply from 1.4% this year to 0.3% in both 2019 and 2020, said the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr).

This scenario – which assumes that the shift to WTO rules is achieved in an orderly way – would erode almost all of the space available for Mr Hammond to increase spending on services.

Expectations of a boost for public spending in next week’s Budget have been fuelled by Prime Minister Theresa May’s recent declaration that the end of austerity is in sight.

By contrast, Niesr forecast that a “soft” Brexit with a deal with Brussels could see growth rise to 1.9% in 2019 and 1.6% in 2020.

This would give Mr Hammond space to borrow an average of £16 billion a year more between 2019/20 and 2022/23 than was expected in the spring.

“This provides room for the Chancellor to spend an average of around £30 billion more over the same period,” said Niesr.

“Under the no-deal Brexit scenario almost all of this additional fiscal space will be eroded.”

The soft Brexit scenario would allow Mr Hammond to meet his fiscal targets of getting the deficit below 2% of GDP by 2020/21 and seeing debt falling as a proportion of GDP over the same period, while making additional borrowing, said Niesr.

But the think tank added: “All this is not to suggest that a soft Brexit will offer the Chancellor a free rein on spending – it will not.

“Even under that optimistic scenario, the Chancellor will fail to comply with the fiscal objective which is to achieve overall fiscal balance over the medium term.”

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careerfinders · 6 years

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UK chancellor set to increase tax paid by offshore gambling companies

The UK chancellor Philip Hammond is set to increase the tax paid by offshore gambling companies in his budget next week.

The move will make it harder for locally based gaming companies to make money in the UK.

The UK chancellor has drawn up plans to increase the so-called “remote gaming duty” paid by overseas operators who offer online casino-type games such as blackjack.

According to the Financial Times, the UK Government took action on fixed-odds betting terminals because some gamblers were losing thousands of pounds a day on games such as roulette.

Some of the industry’s biggest operators have set up online operations in Gibraltar, including Ladbrokes and William Hill.They are braced for Philip Hammond to lift the remote gaming duty from its current level of 15 per cent of “gross gambling yield”, a measure of their profit.

One industry boss told GBC: “The UK keeps moving the goal posts”. The tax could jump up all the way to 25%, but companies based on the Rock will be hoping it doesn’t go above 20% of gross gambling yield, for fear of what it may mean for their business models.

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Picardo and Sánchez positive about Gibraltar despite wider Brexit uncertainty

– Protocol ‘resolved’ for Gibraltar’s inclusion in Withdrawal Agreement and transition

– Airport agreement ‘set aside’ and status quo remains

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez both yesterday sent positive signals about the progress of Brexit talks relating to Gibraltar, effectively confirming the Rock’s inclusion in any withdrawal and transitional arrangements to soften the process of leaving the EU.

Addressing the Gibraltar Parliament, Mr Picardo said there was now a “fairly final” protocol on Gibraltar that would form part of the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement, if and when that wider deal is agreed.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels after speaking to Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of the EU summit in the morning [above], Mr Sánchez echoed that sentiment and said the Gibraltar protocol “is resolved”.

“That protocol is already agreed, it’s closed,” he said.

“As such, Gibraltar will not be a problem in order to reach an agreement on Brexit.”

By coincidence, both men were speaking at exactly the same time yesterday afternoon.

The appearances were not coordinated, but the messages reflected confidence on Gibraltar despite the deep uncertainty surrounding the wider Brexit negotiations on issues such as the future of the border between Norther Ireland and Ireland.

“I believe that there is genuine reason for optimism that there is no longer any question mark over the inclusion of Gibraltar in any transitional or implementation period,” Mr Picardo told Parliament.

“There is no longer talk of vetoing Gibraltar’s inclusion in the transition or implementation period.”

DEAL STRUCTURE

The Chief Minister repeated earlier explanations about the structure of the protocol, which will be signed between the UK and the EU as part of the Withdrawal Agreement.

Although he differed from Mr Sánchez in that he said there were still some points in the protocol – “not many” – to be ironed out, he said the text would be agreed with the EU’s Task Force 50, the group of legal experts overseeing the wider Withdrawal Agreement alongside UK officials.

Both Mr Picardo and Mr Sánchez also spoke about the practical arrangements relating to Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU and Spain, which are being negotiated separately from the protocol.

Mr Picardo said there was already “a large measure of agreement” on four of those memorandums, including one covering the implementation of citizens’ rights protected under the main Withdrawal Agreement.

The second memorandum deals with the environment, an area in which Mr Picardo said Gibraltar had long wanted to cooperate more closely with Spain.

“The environment knows no frontiers and we have long been keen to see cooperation in this area on a basis which is clearly without prejudice to the sovereignty, jurisdiction and control position on which we would never compromise, expressly or impliedly, in any respect but in particular in respect of Gibraltar’s British Gibraltar Territorial Waters,” he said.

The third memorandum addresses matters of police and customs cooperation, where there has long been a good regional relationship despite incursions and occasional flare-ups at sea.

“We sincerely hope that we can leave disagreements behind and move toward more fluid cooperation,” Mr Picardo said.

“The only ones who should tremble at the thought of this new approach to cooperation should be criminals.” The fourth memorandum related to tobacco, where Mr Picardo spoke of a “shared agenda” to control illicit contraband with protective respective legitimate markets.

The work on this agreement is not yet complete and relates to issues such as the price differential between one side of the border and the other.

But Mr Picardo, whose government has increased the price of tobacco by 148% since first taking office, said he considered this commodity to be “on a permanent price escalator”, not least because of the health consequences of smoking.

Work is also still under way on a memorandum to agree a tax treaty to settle what Mr Picardo described as “the perennial misunderstanding by some in Spain of our internationally-accepted tax system”.

NO AIRPORT DEAL

As for the airport, Mr Picardo said the PSOE government in Spain was not prepared to implement the Cordoba agreement reached by a former socialist administration in Spain. As such, nothing would change and the position will be “the status quo”.

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Sánchez also reflected on the airport and the issue of sovereignty. The Socialist Prime Minister has been criticised by the Partido Popular for not using the Brexit process to push for sovereignty and joint control of the airport.

But Mr Sánchez insisted that his team was continuing the strategy set by the PP’s former Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis, who had said from the outset after replacing the hawkish Jose Manuel García-Margallo that sovereignty was not on Spain’s Brexit agenda.

“What we wanted – and I think it’s normal and reasonable – was to have an agreement that provided stability and certainty to the populations of the Campo de Gibraltar and Gibraltar,” Mr Sánchez said, in one of two references to populations on either side of the frontier.

For that reason, “…those elements where we are light years away from an understanding with the United Kingdom, for example on the use of the airport or on sovereignty, were set aside, removed from the negotiation.”

“We have respected that strategy, and now those who designed it are criticising us.” Mr Sánchez referred to the memorandums as being negotiated “bilaterally” between Spain and the UK, although in reality Gibraltar has been part of the negotiations from the outset.

That has included bilateral talks with Spanish officials on several occasions, a reflection of the fact that the subjects under discussion relate to areas that are the constitutional responsibility of the Gibraltar Government.

Mr Picardo repeated earlier assurances that his government would not accept any agreement that in any way impinged on Gibraltar’s British sovereignty or the ingredients of jurisdiction and control.

And while he was optimistic about the progress of the talks, he was cautious too given that the negotiations were not yet complete.

“For that reason, it is not yet possible or prudent to share publicly our own analysis of each clause and how we have ensured that Gibraltar’s interests are entirely protected,” he said.

BEYOND TRANSITION

The Chief Minister stressed that both the protocol and the memorandums related to the withdrawal process and the transitional period after March 29 next year.

Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU after that period remained to be negotiated.

Addressing the Chief Minister after his speech in Parliament, GSD MP Daniel Feetham acknowledged that there was an opportunity for Gibraltar to try and seek a future relationship where Gibraltar enjoyed “more European Union than the UK desires for itself”, adding that he believed it would be difficult to achieve, “but possible”.

Replying to him, Mr Picardo said he and Mr Feetham shared the view that this was “the right course” and that “there may be” the opportunity to have “a differentiated solution” for Gibraltar.

He said this was not part of the withdrawal process, but rather about the future relationship that Gibraltar will have with the EU.

“The question for Gibraltar is, how do we calibrate out future relationship with the European Union?” he said.

“As I sometimes tell my British colleagues, ‘we might want more EU than you’.”

He used as an example the issue of freedom of movement, which had benefited Gibraltar’s economy and, in doing so, created jobs and wealth for people in the Campo too.

And Mr Picardo added too that frontier fluidity was not just about workers, or crossing the border in either direction for shopping and leisure.

“That frontier cuts across the heart and soul of many families and of many friendships, and seeing any barriers put up, in particular, that those barriers should be born from something happens on the 50th anniversary of its closure, would be a tragedy that certainly this government, and I’m sure all members of this House, would not want to see,” he said.

“And we won’t leave any stone unturned to ensure that never happens again.”

For his part, Elliot Phillips, the Leader of the Opposition, said the GSD welcomed the Chief Minister’s statement and acknowledged the “fuller and lengthy” briefing he had given MPs on the Brexit select committee.

Mr Phillips said the GSD reserved its judgement on the handling and the outcome of the negotiations, but added: “We wish the government all the very best in the delicate and technical work that remains in securing and protecting the best interests of the people of Gibraltar.”

He said the Chief Minister and his team “bear a very heavy burden of securing the best outcome for our community”, adding that the GSD again offered its assistance.

Independent Marlene Hassan Nahon also acknowledged the Brexit briefings she had received from the government, which she said had covered both the negotiations and the contingency planning.

Ms Hassan Nahon, whose Together Gibraltar movement this week voted to become a political party, said was happy, both as an MP and as a citizen, to hear of the “optimistic prognosis” for the negotiations.

Like the GSD, she too said she stood ready to assist the government in any way she could.

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careerfinders · 6 years

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PM will not agree Brexit deal which traps UK permanently in customs union: No 10

Theresa May would never agree a Brexit deal with the EU which “traps” the UK permanently in a customs union, Downing Street has said.

The pledge came amid speculation over possible ministerial resignations if the Prime Minister gives too much ground ahead of a crunch Brussels summit next week.

After Mrs May briefed key ministers on the latest developments in the Brexit negotiations in Downing Street on Thursday evening, attention at Westminster is focusing on the issue of whether a precise time limit can be set on her proposed “backstop” arrangement for the Irish border.

Mrs May set out in June proposals for a “temporary customs arrangement” to ensure that the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic remains open in the case that no broader EU/UK trade agreement has been finalised.

The document stated that the UK Government “expects” this arrangement to remain in place no later than the end of December 2021.

But the EU is mounting resistance to any specific time limit being included in the text of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement, while Leave-backing ministers are understood to be insistent that the end of the arrangement should be more precisely defined than the vague term “temporary”.

While the UK remains in a customs union with the EU, it cannot strike free trade deals with other countries like the US or China.

Brexiteers fear that once Britain is signed up to any sort of “temporary” arrangement, the EU will seek to drag it out into the indefinite future.

As officials continued to wrangle over the precise wording of the agreement in Brussels, a Downing Street spokeswoman told a Westminster media briefing: “The Prime Minister would never agree to a deal which would trap the UK in a backstop permanently.”

The spokeswoman said Mrs May stood by her June proposals, adding: “Our position is that this future economic relationship needs to be in place by the end of December 2021 at the latest.”

Downing Street has always been clear that it does not wish or expect the backstop option to be implemented, as it insists it will be possible to agree a wider trade deal guaranteeing an open border in Ireland by the end of the transition period in December 2020.

But Chancellor Philip Hammond has now suggested that he believes the backstop will “probably” be needed for a period.

He told Bloomberg TV: “We are not going to remain in anything indefinitely, we are very clear this has to be a temporary period.

“But it is true that there needs to be a period, probably following the transition period that we have negotiated, before we enter into our long-term partnership, just because of the time it will take to implement the systems required.

“It’s very important to us that business doesn’t have to make two sets of changes, that there will be effectively continuity from the current set-up through the transition period into any temporary period and then a single set of changes when we move into our long-term new economic partnership with the European Union.”

Following Thursday’s meeting of the “inner Cabinet” in Downing Street on Thursday, Government Chief Whip Julian Smith insisted ministers were united behind the PM’s strategy.

However, Westminster was rife with speculation of possible resignations by hardline Brexiteers within the Government.

Earlier, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, who was not at the Downing Street meeting, pointedly refused to endorse the Prime Minister’s Chequers blueprint for Brexit.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and the Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom – who, like Ms McVey, both backed Leave in the referendum in 2016 – were also said to harbour deep concerns.

A number of ministers, including Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, were said to have raised concerns over the backstop issue during the 90-minute meeting.

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Gibraltar ‘won’t blink and accept a bad Brexit deal’, Picardo warns

Gibraltar will not allow itself to be pushed into a bad withdrawal deal as Brexit negotiations enter the final stage, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo warned last night, adding: “We are not going to blink.”

Addressing the annual dinner of the Gibraltar Society of Accountants, Mr Picardo said he remained optimistic that a good agreement could be reached for Gibraltar’s post-Brexit future, adding this would benefit communities on both sides of the border.

But in combative terms, he said his government would not be pressured into accepting a deal that in any way undermined the Rock’s long-established red lines on sovereignty.

“I wanted to be here tonight to tell you that I remain very confident that Gibraltar will be part of the UK – EU Withdrawal Agreement,” he said.

“That is, so long as no one thinks that at the last minute we are going to be pushed to accept things which will not be good for Gibraltar.”

“We are not going to blink at five minutes to midnight.”

“And that is why we continue to plan for no-deal as much as we are working towards a deal.”

Although he did not go into an detail on the substance of the ongoing discussions, the Chief Minister’s words offered a glimpse into the intensity of ongoing negotiations as the Brexit deadline looms.

As the UK and the EU face off in the broader withdrawal talks on thorny issues such as the Northern Ireland border, it was evident from Mr Picardo’s sentiment on Thursday night that similar pressures existed within the context of discussions about how Gibraltar fits into the wider deal.

Mr Picardo said Brexit would have an impact that would “reverberate through the generations”, whether the outcome of the negotiations was positive or negative.

“Most of you here will have children, or maybe even grandchildren,” he said.

“So you will understand when I tell you that I will not do the wrong deal for Gibraltar and its future generations.”

“You will understand when I tell you that I will not sell the wrong deal for Gibraltar.”

“A deal that is constitutionally retrograde for Gibraltar would not be a good deal for Gibraltar.”

“A deal that contains hidden sovereignty time bombs would not be a good deal for Gibraltar.”

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Gib Govt issues ‘no deal’ advice to British passport holders

The Gibraltar Government has advised British passport holders to check the details on their documents and to be aware of unfolding events as Gibraltar prepares to leave the European Union along with the United Kingdom.

This comes after the UK Government published a technical notice in relation to passports, informing British passport holders what they need to do should they wish to continue travelling to EU countries with a UK passport in the unlikely event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

In a statement the Gibraltar Government underscored that this is part of the process of planning for the eventuality of a no-deal Brexit.

However, it reiterated that both the UK and the EU continue to work towards an agreement.

Nonetheless, No.6 Convent Place explained that if the UK leaves the EU without a deal the changes to the entry requirements for British passport holders, including those with passports issued by the Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey) and Gibraltar, travelling to Schengen area countries will be applicable with effect from 30 March 2019.

British passport holders, including holders of passports issued by Gibraltar, will be considered third country nationals under the Schengen Border Code and will therefore need to comply with different rules to enter and travel around the Schengen area.

According to the Schengen Border Code, third country passports must have been issued within the last ten years on the date of arrival in a Schengen country, and have at least three months validity remaining on the date of intended departure from the last country visited in the Schengen area.

Because third country nationals can remain in the Schengen area for 90 days – approximately three months – the actual check carried out is that the passport has at least six months validity remaining on the date of arrival.

Adult British passport holders planning to travel to the Schengen area after 29 March 2019 must make sure their passport is no older than nine years and six months and has at least six months validity remaining on the date of arrival.

For example, if you intend to travel to the Schengen area on 30 March 2019, your passport should have an issue date on or after 1 October 2009 and a validity remaining of at least six months.

Under-16s, holders of a five-year British child passport must check the expiry date and make sure that there will be at least six months validity remaining on the date of travel.

For example, a child planning to travel to the Schengen area on 30 March 2019should have a passport with an expiry date on or after 1 October 2019.

The following countries are part of the Schengen area: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Passport holders are reminded to check the entry requirements for other countries that are in the EU but not in the Schengen area.

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Picardo shrugs off ‘no deal’ gloom with positive Brexit message ahead of National Day

The UK and the European Union are “very close” to a Brexit agreement that is “likely” to benefit Gibraltar and its neighbouring region, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said yesterday ahead of the Rock’s last National Day as a member of the EU.

As parliamentarians from the UK arrived in Gibraltar for Monday’s celebrations, Mr Picardo said he remained confident the UK and EU would reach an agreement that would benefit their respective citizens, including Gibraltarians.

“I sincerely believe that despite the politics that we sometimes see played out on our television screen, the UK and the EU are very close to an agreement that will provide for both sides a much better opportunity to see their respective citizens prosper and progress after Brexit and that that is likely to be able to include and benefit Gibraltar and the region,” he told the Chronicle in an interview.

Mr Picardo also underscored the “hand in glove relationship” between the government of Gibraltar and the UK not just within the Brexit process, but in other areas too.

“It is closer than I imagine any Gibraltar government and UK government have ever worked,” he said.

He was speaking as a delegation of 32 British politicians arrived in Gibraltar for a working visit and to participate in National Day.

The delegation includes members of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the European Parliament, and includes representatives from the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, the UUP, the DUP and crossbench peers.

It includes senior figures including Arlene Foster, the DUP Leader who will be in Gibraltar for the first time and who was First Minister of Norther Ireland until the power-sharing agreement came to an end.

The wide representation from across the political spectrum in Westminster reflects the staunch support that Gibraltar enjoys in the United Kingdom and the intense work carried out by the Gibraltar Government and its offices in London and Brussels. It also shows the high level of interest that exists in Gibraltar issues ahead of Brexit.

Mr Picardo told the Chronicle that a key element of the ongoing work was “…to ensure that the United Kingdom understands the nuances of Gibraltar so that any application to Gibraltar of any future UK/EU deal takes into consideration those Gibraltarian nuances.”

The Chief Minister declined to be drawn on the ongoing “discrete discussions” between the UK, Spain and Gibraltar on the Rock’s post-Brexit relationship with Spain and the wider EU, which have been under way since last January.

But he insisted there was common ground between all three sides and that the talks were “progressing well”, particularly on the critical issue of maintaining border fluidity.

“There are certain fluidity rights that we want to see preserved at the crossing points in Gibraltar and Spain into Europe,” he said.

“There are some things that we all want to see we ensure are not in any way changed, such as the rights of people to come into Gibraltar whether to work or to access us for tourism, to visit relatives, to shop, and the rights of Gibraltarians to access Europe through Spain, some to work, some to enjoy tourism in the hinterland, shop or live.”

“I think it is in the interests of the government of the Kingdom of Spain and the Government of Gibraltar, and to a very great extent the Government of the United Kingdom also, that an understanding is reached between Spain and Gibraltar about the day-to-day ability of Gibraltarians to be able to fluidly access Spain, and of European citizens to be able to access Gibraltar through the crossing point in Spain.”

“And I think we’re all alive to the need to have such an arrangement.”

Even in the event of a cliff-edge ‘no deal’ exit from the bloc, he said “…Gibraltar does not have to stop EU citizens from accessing Gibraltar the day after Brexit, and neither does Spain have to stop Gibraltarians from accessing the EU the day after Brexit.”

Between today and Monday, the visiting MPs will be briefed by Mr Picardo and deputy Chief Minister and Brexit Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, on the latest developments in respect of Gibraltar and the withdrawal.

The briefing this morning will take place at Gibraltar International Airport and will include a visit to the terminal and the frontier area, giving the visitors a detailed, first-hand insight into the issues.

“The Government is delighted to see the level of interest that continues to exist among parliamentarians on Gibraltar issues,” DR Garcia said.

“This is all the more important this National Day as we prepare to leave the European Union.”

“It is essential that we keep UK politicians up to date on the progress of different issues throughout the year. National Day provides the invaluable opportunity for us to do this to a number of them at the same time.”

The visiting parliamentarians will also be present on Monday to witness Sir Joe Bossano receiving the Freedom of the City after a lifetime of public service to this community.

Yesterday, Mr Picardo said the public recognition of Sir Joe’s contribution to Gibraltar would add further significance to the events this year, which marks the 25th National Day since it became an official public holiday.

“I think one of the highlights for me this year of National Day will be that the man who was Chief Minister when we started the process of celebrating our identity, who embraced it and really took Gibraltar back to the United Nations, will have the Freedom of the City bestowed on him on that day as part of the celebrations,” the Chief Minister said.

“I think that’s hugely significant for us as a nation and for me, I think it’s going to be the highlight of our day.”

“If I may say so, I think even Sir Joe Bossano is going to enjoy it a lot this year.”

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Brexit deal within our sights, says Dominic Raab

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has said he is “confident that a deal is within our sights” while appearing before peers to discuss progress of the UK Government’s negotiations to leave the EU.

Mr Raab answered questions for almost two hours from members of the Lords EU Committee in Parliament over the UK’s exit from the European Union.

The Cabinet minister said he had quickly established a “good professional and personal rapport” with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier. But he later hinted the timing of the Brexit talks this autumn may change.

Mr Barnier told reporters in Berlin after a meeting with German foreign minister Heiko Maas: “We are prepared to offer Britain a partnership such as there never has been with any other third country.”

Addressing peers, Mr Raab said he would be in Brussels tomorrow ahead of meetings on Friday, adding: “I’m confident that a deal is within our sights. We’re bringing ambition, pragmatism, energy and if, and I expect it will be, and if it is matched, we get a deal.”

He added: “I think it is important as we enter the final phase of the negotiations in the lead up to the October council and the possibility that it may creep beyond that, we want to see some renewed energy.”

“We’re bringing the ambition and the substance of our white paper on the future relationship and also I think some pragmatism to try and go the extra mile to get the deal that I think is in both sides’ interests. We need that to be matched obviously, it’s a negotiation.”

Mr Raab struck a bullish tone during his exchanges with peers, who aired their concerns and sought greater detail on issues including the Northern Ireland border issue, the proposed new facilitated customs arrangement, the current state of talks, plus preparations for a no-deal scenario.

Labour peer Lord Liddle said: “We’re begging for this, because without it we know we will suffer grave industrial consequences.” Mr Raab responded: “That’s hyperbole. We don’t beg and I certainly don’t beg.”

The Brexit Secretary also hinted that on the financial settlement, a no-deal scenario could affect arrangements over payments to the EU. After a mobile phone sounded in the committee room, Mr Raab joked: “It’s probably someone from Brussels trying to check in on the money.”

He added: “The financial settlement, as it’s calibrated in the withdrawal agreement, reflects a whole range of considerations not just the strict legal obligations and if we left with no deal then not only would there be a question around quite what the shape of those financial obligations were as a matter of strict law, but secondly on the timing.”

“Remember that the timing of payments is actually – we overlook it on our side – rather important on the EU side because of the way money is distributed, but… I don’t think it could be safely assumed on anyone’s side that the financial settlement as has been agreed by the withdrawal agreement would then just be paid in precisely the same shape or speed or rate if there was no deal.”

“As I said that would be a peculiar position for the UK to take because we view the package as a whole.”

On a possible no deal scenario, Mr Raab said: “It wouldn’t be a walk in the park but it wouldn’t be the end of the world… My focus as I hope you will see is that overridingly on intensifying the negotiations because we want a strong deal, because we want a good outcome….So really with the no deal scenario as difficult as it is to anticipate what precisely could be the trigger for it there’s a range of possibilities and we’ll be ready for all of them.”

Mr Raab would not be drawn on the percentage risk of a no deal, but he added: “I’m stubbornly optimistic.”

Speaking about the Northern Ireland border, Mr Raab said: “What I can say is we’re both committed to a solution and there is a lot of interesting, innovative technical work to make sure we resolve it.”

He added: “We’re not going to see a customs border drawn down the Irish Sea.”

“We’re not going to do anything which would imperil the Belfast Agreement. We want to make sure, in a positive sense, that the solution works for the communities on both sides.”

Mr Raab expressed confidence in the City post-Brexit, adding: “I think ultimately if we ended up with some of the worst case scenario outcomes that some people have suggested, so that the EU would take this as an opportunity and, by the way I don’t believe this, to try and either hive-off large areas of the work that’s done in London or punish the City, I think the only winners would be the other global centres in the top 10 like Tokyo and New York.”

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Major Brexit conference announced for next month

A three-day symposium entitled “Bordering on Brexit: Global Britain and the Embers of the Empire” will be held at the Garrison Library next month.

The conference will commence after an opening speech by Dr Joseph Garcia, and throughout the event speakers will analyse different aspects of Brexit in detail.

It is being organised by Dr Jennifer Ballantine-Perera, in conjunction with the University of Copenhagen and the Office of the Deputy Chief Minister.

A spokesman for the symposium said: “As the United Kingdom navigates the shoals of Brexit and casts about for alternative futures, it is widely assumed that the imperial past has much to answer for – with Brexit derided variously as a ‘pining for empire’; ‘England’s Last Gasp of Empire, and the prelude to ‘Empire 2.0’.”

“This is not just a matter of unrepentant Remainers resorting to easy political put-downs, but also registers in the rhetoric of the Brexiteers themselves.”

With regards to Gibraltar, which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union, the immediate practical challenges of Brexit will be analysed too.

The symposium will start on Thursday September 20, and will continue for three days.

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careerfinders · 6 years

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South West of England backs second EU referendum – poll

Voters in the South West of England back a second referendum on the Brexit deal by a margin of 42% to 35%, according to a new poll.

The poll, for the People’s Vote campaign, was released ahead of a day of action by the group across the region on Saturday, culminating in a rally in Bristol.

Although the South West backed Leave in the 2016 referendum, the YouGov poll suggested voters have now switched to backing continued EU membership by a margin of 51% to 49%.

Support for a second referendum rises if the Government fails to secure a Brexit deal with the EU, with 47% backing a public vote in those circumstances and just 27% opposing.

The People’s Vote released a dossier claiming that the South West’s economy is expected to shrink by 2% over the next 12 years if Brexit goes ahead, leaving each resident an average of £461 a year worse-off.

More than £700 million of EU funding for South West businesses and projects is at risk from Brexit, while products like the Cornish pasty, clotted cream and West Country cider could lose their protected status, said the group.

People’s Vote organisers said they expected thousands to attend Saturday’s rally to hear speakers including Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, Labour’s Stephen Doughty and Green Party MEP Molly Scott-Cato.

Former YouGov president Peter Kellner said: “This poll is the first significant test of public opinion in the South West on Brexit since the referendum and shows that attitudes are beginning to shift.

“Voters in the South West support a People’s Vote on any final Brexit deal negotiated by the Government by a clear margin which rises much higher with the prospect of leaving the EU without any deal.”

And Labour’s Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw highlighted findings that the party’s voters in the region back EU membership by 76% to 24% and a second referendum by a margin of four to one.

“My own party is in danger of letting down its voters and young people in particular,” said Mr Bradshaw.

“I urge my colleagues who do not yet support a People’s Vote to study this poll and ask themselves whether they came into politics to stand against the views of our supporters or do they want to join us in the South West in demanding our democratic voice is heard on Brexit?”

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careerfinders · 6 years

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Bank of England governor warns no-deal Brexit ‘uncomfortably high’ possibility

Mark Carney has warned that the possibility of a no-deal Brexit is “uncomfortably high” and will lead to higher prices, as Prime Minister Theresa May cuts short her holiday to try to win support for her blueprint.

The Bank of England Governor said both the UK and EU should “do all things to avoid” a no-deal scenario.

He added that the banks have done the “stockpiling” and the country’s financial system is in a position to be able to “withstand a shock” which could result from the UK leaving the EU without an agreement.

Mr Carney’s comments came ahead of Mrs May meeting French President Emmanuel Macron at his summer retreat, Fort de Bregancon, on a small island off the French Mediterranean coast.

After the hastily arranged talks, Mrs May and her husband Philip will join Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte for a private dinner.

Mrs May is ending her break in the Italian Lakes a day early in the hope of winning over the Frenchleader, one of Europe’s key powerbrokers, although she will jet off to Switzerland for a second break later this month.

Mr Carney, appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, said: “I think the possibility of a no deal is uncomfortably high at this point.”

Asked if no deal would be a disaster, Mr Carney said: “It is highly undesirable. Parties should do all things to avoid it.”

Pushed on what no deal would mean for people, Mr Carney said “disruption to trade as we know it” before adding: “As a consequence of that, a disruption to the level of economic activity, higher prices for a period of time.

“Our job at the Bank of England is to make sure those issues don’t happen in the financial system so that people will have things to worry about in a no-deal Brexit, which is still a relatively unlikely possibility but it is a possibility, but what we don’t want to have is people worrying about their money in the bank, whether or not they can get a loan from the bank – whether for a mortgage or for a business idea – and we have put the banks through the wringer well in advance of this to make sure they have the capital.”

Mr Carney, pressed on whether the preparations were to guard against a run on the bank, said it was the “exact opposite”, to ensure the banks can lend to the economy to “advance not retreat”.

Asked if he believed this situation could emerge, Mr Carney replied: “No, no, no, no, no, no, no – we won’t be in that situation, we will not be in that situation.

“The UK financial system has tripled the amount of capital they had over the course of the last several years, they have increased the amount of liquidity – the money they have on a day-to-day basis – by 10 times over the course of the last several years.

“The reason they have done that is to be in a position to be able to withstand a shock, wherever the shock comes from – it could come from China, it could come from abroad, it could come from a no-deal Brexit.

“We have meticulously gone through the types of risk associated with a no-deal Brexit to make sure the institutions are in a position.”

Mr Carney later said the financial system will be ready for that “undesirable and still unlikely possibility”, adding that it was run through a “stress test” scenario of house and commercial real estate prices decreasing by a third, interest rates going up by almost four percentage points, unemployment increasing to 9% and the economy going into a 4% recession.

He reiterated that this was not a prediction of what could happen if there was no Brexit deal, but to provide an idea of what the system could withstand.

Mr Carney said: “We have been planning for very difficult circumstances and the banks are ready.”

He added that the Bank of England’s 2016 predictions for the UK economy were “bang on”, arguing: “When you adjust for the stimulus we’ve given, the stimulus the Government has given and the strength of the global economy, it’s about 1.75 or two percentage points lower than it otherwise would have been – that’s our projection on projection estimate. That is a big difference.

“So we’ve gone from the fastest to the slowest growing in the G7, we’ve had a big shift in sterling – 17 percentage points – and we went through the latter half of 2016 and last year with a real pay squeeze on British households, which we’re just getting out of.”

On the transition period, Mr Carney said: “We’ll take the two years. We’ll make it enough.”

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