Jun 04 - Margallo Tells Malmström Frontier Queues “Are Not Politically Motivated”
The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, has told the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström that the queues at the Gibraltar frontier “are not politically motivated.”
Commissioner Malmström arrived in Madrid yesterday to conduct various meetings with Spanish officials to discuss issues affecting the borders with Ceuta, Melilla and Gibraltar.
A statement from the Spanish government said that the checks carried out at the Gibraltar land frontier were entirely justified because they were designed to tackle smuggling activity. The Spanish minister reiterated his country’s obligation to carry out such checks in accordance with its duties under the relevant EU treatises. He also said that such checks were “random, proportional and non-discriminatory.”
Mr Margallo said that Spain was acting “in full compliance” with the recommendations set out by the European Commission in November last year to improve frontier flow and that he was paying particular attention to the problems faced by Spanish workers at the border.
