The lack of progress in the negotiations between Europe and the United Kingdom to seek a solution to Gibraltar’s post-Brexit situation remains stalled. With no news on the table, the Rock launches an order and continues to assemble its planning in case a Non-Negotiated Result (NNO) occurs.
Proof of this is the visit of the United Kingdom’s Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty, to Gibraltar to hold a meeting with the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo; the deputy chief minister, Joseph García; the Minister of Economic Development, Sir Joe Bossano, and the Minister of Health, Gemma Arias-Vásquez, to discuss issues related to the negotiation.
According to Gibraltarian sources, Docherty toured the areas of the Port, the container terminal and received information about the works carried out there within the framework of planning for the event of a non-negotiated result that is being carried out by the Government of Gibraltar.
This is not the first time that Gibraltar has put a plan B on the table in case negotiations run aground and do not materialize. In fact, at the end of November last year, the Rock made its move and prepared its companies for the possible failure of the negotiation. In a technical note, he presented his plan: “Non-Negotiated Outcome” (NNO). In that document, it alerted companies that the controls, if an agreement was not reached, would be systematic and exhaustive, so queues of several hours at the border could therefore be expected. The delay would worsen during peak hours. In this sense, they recommended planning shifts so that Spanish workers do not have to cross the fence during peak hours.
Another of the planned plans is related to Spanish health personnel working in Gibraltar. The Picardo Government assures that it has plans to, in case of emergency, house a sufficient number of these workers. Regarding the movement of goods, the Picardo Executive points out that unlike the United Kingdom, “it was never part of the EU Customs Union”, so “Gibraltar was already treated as a third country for the purposes of all trade in goods with the EU. This means that it operates as if there were no agreement, so they do not foresee any changes to the legislation in the event of chaos. Another point is related to waste since the Rock exports the majority for treatment in authorized facilities in Spain. Gibraltarian operators are legally able to export waste, so a lack of agreement should not change this. However, as is prudent, the Government of Gibraltar is exploring other options for the export of waste. Finally, when it comes to both financial services and online gaming, the two sectors that contribute the most to Gibraltar’s service economy, it must be remembered that the Rock is the only jurisdiction that has secured specific and guaranteed access to the British market after leaving the European Union.
2024-03-12 08:25:05
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