May 28 – Dr Garcia: “This Is A Political Dream Come True” – Deputy Chief Minister Reflects On Gibraltar’s Modern Relationship With Europe
By YGTV in Brussels
Today, following Wednesday’s reception to mark the official opening of the Gibraltar Government’s new office in Brussels, we caught up with the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia. He spoke to us about the role of the office and Gibraltar’s developing engagement with key European institutions…
YGTV: After coming to Brussels many times since you were a student, how has it felt to come over this time round to open the new Gibraltar House?
Dr Garcia: In a very real sense, to both the Chief Minister and myself, it is a political dream come true if you look at it in the following context: we started coming to Brussels around 20 years ago when I had just finished my PhD - the concept of Europe was something which interested us. We came to explore and meet with people who were willing to see us even then. It was an eye-opening experience because here was a big club that we had belonged to since 1973 and while not that much was known about Europe in Gibraltar, absolutely nothing was known about Gibraltar in Europe.
At this time, of course, we only had an informal lobby group of MEPs because Gibraltar could not yet vote in European elections. This made us want to belong to something and to fully participate in and be respected by European institutions. When we made our first visit as a Government in 2012, it was clear that we needed to open an office here. Having the office has practical benefits; it is place that we can use for meetings and functions. However, the new office also makes a statement that we are here to engage with the EU institutions.
YGTV: Your Government has been characterised by a very eager engagement with these institutions. Is this a place where Gibraltar comes primarily to bring its grievances especially as a result of Spanish political pressure?
Dr Garcia: I think it’s fair to say that we wanted to engage with European institutions regardless and we wanted to do more than had previously been done. Sir Graham Watson, who heads the new office, was instrumental in all of this because he established that Commissioners should be able to meet with the Government of Gibraltar. We found that, before this, Commissioners’ offices were very evasive and weren’t keen on engaging with us. Sir Graham wrote to the then President of the Commission and, having secured this, we had a series of meetings with Commissioners dealing with tax, fisheries and home affairs.
We now regularly raise our concerns with them when we feel we’re not being treated as we should; it’s a mutual relationship. With the MEPs, it’s a case of lobbying them on certain issues which they then take up by writing to Commissioners or raising them in Parliament. Just this year we’ve had a Gibraltar exhibition stand in the European Parliament and, in March, we met with the Migration and Border Management Commissioner.
YGTV: Was the powerful Spanish lobby an obstacle to achieving this level of engagement? Is it still an obstacle?
Dr Garcia: It’s fair to say that it was. Nobody came out and said it but it was clear where the pressure was coming from and we needed to tackle this. There has been a positive engagement since Sir Graham achieved this recognition from the Commission.
YGTV: What does the new Gibraltar House enable your Government to do in Brussels?
Dr Garcia: Not everything that happens here is political; before we opened the office it was operational and there had already been visits from institutions from Gibraltar that needed to use it as a base. The Financial Services Commission and the Citizens Advice Bureau have both recently used these facilities. It’s already developed into an institution that other entities can visit.
YGTV: Can you give us any update on any progress regarding Spanish border delays and the Single Skies legislation?
Dr Garcia: Neither one has been at the top of the agenda in this visit but the reality is that we are still where we have been for a while. Spain doesn’t want Gibraltar to be included in any new civil aviation measures. Any exclusion of Gibraltar would be completely illegal under existing treatises. The UK is treating this as a red line; it’s not going to happen on their watch and they’re going to ensure that it doesn’t happen.
There are three possible solutions: one, Spain could return to the solution spelled out in the Cordoba Agreement whereby Spain commits to not seeking the exclusion of Gibraltar from civil aviation measures. The second proposal which has been put to the Commission is for Gibraltar not to be mentioned by name at all in the measures – after all, no other country is mentioned anyway so it applies automatically. The third solution, which really isn’t in our hands, is a change of government in Spain.
YGTV: How about your discussions on the UK referendum on EU membership?
Dr Garcia: People have been interested to find out what Gibraltar’s position on the referendum is and we’ve explained that to the Commission and MEPs. The position at present is that Prime Minister Cameron has to negotiate a deal and that deal will be put to the British people. If the UK government is happy with the deal, they will recommend a “Yes” vote. Clearly, this will be supported by Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP. UKIP and perhaps some others will recommend a “No” vote.
YGTV: A UK exit would be a disaster for Gibraltar wouldn’t it?
Dr Garcia: Our view from the very beginning has been that it would be a disaster. A lot of our economy relies on dealing with the single market and on selling our services as part of the EU. The other problem is issues like the border which are already bad enough with us in the EU.
YGTV: What strategy are you working on to present Gibraltar’s view on the referendum to the British public and the British political class?
Dr Garcia: We are working very closely with the UK on this issue. We’re planning more discussions in the near future.
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