Mar 16 - Government Clarifies Position On “Enhanced” Use Of Airport
The Government says it wishes to clarify comments made in an article in the international media which suggested that Gibraltar was willing to share control over its airport with Spain.
Number Six says that this is not the case and that it is clear that the article “has not properly reflected the complicated nuances surrounding the Cordoba agreement.”
A spokesperson said: “In the interests of clarity, the policy remains as follows:
“The Cordoba Agreement for the enhanced use of the airport was entered into in 2006 by the then GSD administration in Gibraltar together with the then Governments of the United Kingdom and Spain.
“This Government simply inherited the commitments that it contains.
"It will be recalled that, once concluded, the Cordoba Agreement was fully implemented by Gibraltar and brought into effect by the previous administration with the building of the new airport terminal adjacent to the frontier fence and the excavation of the tunnel under the runway. An interim solution was found to allow passengers travelling to and from Spain to access the terminal in sealed buses. The 2006 agreement provided for commercial interests from Gibraltar and Spain to manage parts of the operation on a purely commercial basis, if allowed by EU law.
“In the past seven years since 2011, successive Governments of Gibraltar and the Opposition have criticised the failure of Spain to honour its commitments as set out in Cordoba. This has included the lengthy process of lobbying in Europe on this subject where we have repeatedly pointed out the Spanish failure to comply with their Cordoba obligations.
“It is correct to say that the decision taken ten years after Cordoba that the United Kingdom and Gibraltar should leave the European Union has changed the dynamics of the situation. The relevance of this can only be fully assessed once the exact terms of our departure are known.
“The Prime Minister has made it clear that the United Kingdom Government is negotiating our departure from the European Union as the Member State responsible before Brussels. The same is the case for the Devolved Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man and the other UK Overseas Territories that currently enjoy a relationship with the European Union which will have to be redefined.
“In each case the issues are very different. We know that there are border issues to be discussed with Cyprus (Sovereign Bases), the Republic of Ireland (Northern Ireland), Spain (Gibraltar) and with France/The Netherlands (Anguilla). There are challenges posed by the threat to EU funding, fishing rights, agricultural products and in many other areas.
“In these discussions with different Member States, it is obvious that there will be more to discuss with next door neighbours than with other more distant countries, although Gibraltar issues have been or will be raised with a number of different Member States and not only with Spain.
“The Government of Gibraltar has stated many times that it is prepared to engage in constructive, technical discussions with all relevant parties, including Spain, as we prepare to leave the European Union in order to achieve a sensible, an orderly and a well-managed Brexit which is in all our interests.”
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