Sep 13 - Spain Insists Extensive Frontier Checks are Normal at this Time of Year – Says President Barroso
During a question and answer session hosted yesterday between EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU citizens, Gibraltarian Tony Evans posed the question ‘When will the EU take firm action against the politically motivated frontier checks, used by Spain against Gibraltar?’
Euronews Journalist Thomas Seymat, who surveyed and processed questions, insisted that they had received a huge number of questions on Gibraltar. In his response, President Barroso noted that the Commission will send a mission to the frontier very soon, although a date has still not been set. He explained that the issue had been discussed with Prime Ministers of both the UK and Spain.
President Barroso explained that he had asked both parties to deal with the issue constructively and to try and find a solution to the political problem. ‘The sovereignty issue is a matter that these two have to solve,’ President Barroso said.
He explained that the Commission will act in areas such as the freedom of movement and goods across the frontier. He added that the commission can also act on issues such as tax fraud and smuggling, which have been brought to the table through complaints by the Spanish Government. President Barroso claimed that reports on the frontier had been submitted by both sides. He noted that the Spanish blame extensive queues on the influx of people during this time of year. During their mission, the EU Commission will act impartially and independently, President Barroso added.
Photo courtesy of: Johannes Jansson/norden.org
