Walter Finch
THE mayor of La Linea has cast doubt on whether Spanish police will actually carry out double passport checks on passengers arriving at Gibraltar airport after the treaty is signed.
The notion of Spanish officers carrying out Schengen checks on Brits and Gibraltarians flying to the Rock has been regarded as one of the most objectionable aspects of the long-awaited deal negotiated between the UK and the EU due to its sovereignty implications.
But during an interview on his vision for the future, La Linea mayor Juan Franco told the Olive Press he believes that ‘once everything is signed and the border is gone’ the concept will be quietly binned as it ‘doesn’t make sense’.
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“The control will be joint, with an integrated computer system,” he explained, which – in his view – negates the need for the dual checks as ‘it wouldn’t make sense’.
“The normal thing, I believe – though I don’t know for sure – is that the registration will be done by the British or Gibraltarian police using a computer system that I assume will be connected to the Spanish database.
“And so there won’t be the need for more checks, because once you enter through Gibraltar, you’ve essentially entered the Schengen, so it will already be logged in the system.
“Will there be dual checks? I don’t know for sure but I don’t think so. If you’d asked me this 30 years ago, I’d have said: of course there will be.
“But when everything is signed and the border is gone, it would be normal for there to be just a single check and for the databases to be connected.
“Whether it’s by a Spanish officer or a Gibraltar one on the day we don’t know.”
But he added: “I don’t have the information, I’m just telling you what I would do.”
He explained that ‘whether or not there’s a Spanish terminal, the control will be the same – for both Gibraltarians and Spaniards.’
“Imagine; for a Gibraltar–Madrid flight, I use my ID, and when the officer stops me, they check it just as though I were flying from Malaga to Madrid.”
The issue of a loss of sovereignty with Spanish police controlling entry to Gibraltar has vexed many both on the Rock and in the UK.
But Franco takes a more sanguine view.
“Let me give you a fact – under Spanish law, any person who resides more than 183 days in Spain has to pay income tax.
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“Once the frontier opens up fully, there will be no way to monitor the 34,000 Gibraltarians.
“So I could find myself in a situation where people are living in Spain, working in Gibraltar, earning money in Gibraltar, but since they’re not registered in Spain, they don’t pay tax here.
“That’s also a kind of sovereignty issue. I think everyone has to give a little ground here.”
And he quipped: “Because I’ll be the one paying for the roads that these people use.”
The deal itself the mayor labelled as a ‘historic opportunity.’
“Let me explain: if we stick to the old ways of thinking – sovereignty, flags, territorial waters and all that – then we won’t get anywhere.
“But if we look at the bigger picture and remember that we’re in the 21st century, well, Spain gives up part of its sovereignty to the EU in order to live better.
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“For example, we don’t control our monetary policy – and money is one of the strongest expressions of sovereignty.
“But are we any less Spanish for using the euro instead of the peseta?
So I think this opens up a major window of opportunity for everyone.
“Yes, there’ll be an adjustment period, and yes, there’ll be problems.
“But what matters is that we work together to get through it — for the sake of the people.
“Think about the worst-case scenario: hard border controls. Fifteen thousand people won’t be able to get to work.
“Tourists won’t be able to enter Gibraltar. Gibraltarians won’t be able to get to their second homes, or go shopping, or have a drink in La Línea.
“So let’s focus on coexisting. And by the way, neither Spain nor the UK is giving up sovereignty – just look at the waters around the Rock.
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“Some say they belong to one side, some to the other. That issue isn’t going anywhere.
However, Spain will finally acknowledge that the airport sits within the single Schengen space — ‘and that’s hugely important.’
It’s going to be good for Gibraltar’s development, and for us too. So which is better: to keep arguing over who owns the land, or to agree that it’s an airport, include it in the Schengen zone, and keep debating the ownership later?
“I think pragmatism has won. So if anyone thinks this is Spain ‘putting a foot in Gibraltar’ – well, on the Spanish side people are saying we’ve ‘dropped our trousers’ and let the British keep colonising us.
“These are outdated ways of thinking that don’t solve the real problem. I think this will be positive. But let’s be cautious — there are still lots of issues we’ll need to tackle from now on.”
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