Dec 17 - UK Lords Push on EU Commission Frontier Recommendations
Responding to questions in the House of Lords this week, The Conservative baroness Warsi told Lord Luce that the EU Commission had expressed its thanks for all the information on the Gibraltar Spain frontier delays that the UK and Gibraltar provided before, during and after the technical visit. The question asked whether the Commission had taken account of the evidence produced by the Gibraltar Government, of the flow of traffic at the frontier.
Baroness Warsi continued with, ‘It is unsurprising that the Commission was unable to conclude that EU law had been infringed after the visit. The border operated much more smoothly than normal during the Commission visit. This is not the same as confirmation that Spain has acted lawfully. We remain confident that Spain has acted—and continues to act—unlawfully. We will continue to provide evidence of that to the Commission. Following a number of complaints from EU citizens about the checks made by the Spanish authorities at the border with Gibraltar, the Commission has found that the intensity of the random checks performed by the Spanish customs is unjustified.
Baroness Warsi also noted that the UK, in partnership with the Gibraltar Government, is continuing to gather data on frontier delays, in order to demonstrate their ‘illegitimate, disproportionate and unlawful nature; and the impact they are having on EU citizens.’
In response to a further question by Lord Luce, on what progress has been made to implement all the recommendations made by the Commission, Baroness Warsi explained that work had already begun to amend the Tobacco Act in Gibraltar. She added that the UK continues to press the Spanish authorities to implement their recommendations from the Commission.
