Issue Tarek mountain After Brexit, this has become both a normal and an unusual problem for Spain. prosaic Because it is basically about finding a mechanism that allows about 35,000 people to pass from one side to the other every day. rare Because it is embroiled in three centuries of sovereignty claims with the United Kingdom that inflame the political spirit in both countries.
For the first part, what was decided was to try. Demolition of what is known as “La Verja” Which separates the colony from the rest of the peninsula, thus allowing smooth traffic. La Verja is where Spanish border officers now control the entry and exit of people.
A treaty is being negotiated that specifies, among other things, New terms of controlsWhich, if the border fence is removed, should take place at the port and airport of Gibraltar. But the agreement has not yet been concluded.
In this context, on November 8, Border control system For the entire European Union. Start using new Entry and Exit System (SES)This will replace the manual “wet stamp” system. Passports and questions from La Verja police officers about destination, residence or expected period of stay in the Schengen area. Now it will only be necessary to put fingerprints and passport in some devices that Spain installed a few days ago at the gate, according to official sources.
New controls in Gibraltar
It is very unlikely that the agreement being negotiated between Brussels, London, Madrid and Gibraltar will arrive before November, which is only three months away. Therefore, Gibraltar citizens and visitors will soon have to use the new system. Gibraltar Expect delays, Especially during the implementation period.
“This is getting on the nerves of Gibraltarians,” police sources say. “Some They actually live on the Campo Gibraltar side. [en casas más baratas y amplias que en el Peñón]. Now, they will only be able to stay for 90 days, and that will be accurately calculated.” The data will be transferred to a central European database that will accurately calculate the time spent in the Schengen area. After 90 entries, the system will skip and you will not be able to enter.
In Gibraltar they live “The Plains” Residents, who enjoy the privilege of entry and exit under temporary bilateral agreements; but also British government or military officialswho must stamp their passport and provide explanations on the reasons for entering and exiting the Schengen area, like any other third-country national.
Gibraltar Reciprocal Measures
Gibraltar is already preparing its citizens for the new dynamic. It stresses that similar measures could be implemented. “While the Government of Gibraltar is preparing for any eventuality, including a non-negotiable outcome (No Negotiated Outcome, NNO) Citizens should note that Gibraltar, in the event of no agreement with the EU, will improve its border control infrastructure with electronic gates and automated systems that can also process biometric data, “as is common at borders around the world,” a statement from the Gibraltar government said.
On the Spanish side, they see the installation of this biometric system as complex. Tarek mountain“They can put in an automated system to read documents, but the biometric system is complicated because they don’t have enough space to create facilities of this kind, as they have houses of this kind.” Royal Air Force “They don’t let them touch it,” say the Spanish sources cited above. “The machines that can be installed will be five or six at most, and that won’t be enough. “Many will be frustrated by the crossing.”
The same sources expect an increase in vehicle queues. On the other borders, cars are checked by parking them in a separate container where they are registered, without obstructing the normal flow. However, due to the narrowness of the separation wall, for Gibraltar the check must be done using an electronic tablet. The car is waiting in line.The control of non-EU citizens is longer: you have to take fingerprints and photos and send everything to be compared with the Huelva database.
Gibraltar negotiations with the Labour Party
Access New Labour Government Keir Starmer To 10 Downing Street will allow it. Relaunch negotiationswhich has been dogged by political ups and downs in the UK in recent months. The framework agreement to start negotiations was reached almost four years ago, on New Year’s Eve 2020.
Pedro Sanchez, after his first meeting with Starmer, said that an agreement was close. But we hear that from time to time. Spain has implemented a relatively lenient system of controls.
However, the UK recently sent Spain a Formal complaint about the controls you are implementing Spain for British citizens who They pass through the gate from Gibraltar.The Spanish government rejects these allegations, insisting that this is simply an implementation of the checks required by the European Union for entry into the Schengen Area.
Entry requirements from Gibraltar exploded
All non-EU nationals, including Gibraltarians and other British nationals resident in Gibraltar, must prove when entering Spain or any other Schengen country that they meet the specific entry requirements.
The requirements, as set out in the information distributed by the Government of Gibraltar to its citizens, include:
- be in possession of a passport Valid for at least three months after the planned date of departure from the Schengen area and issued within the last ten years
- be able to justify Purpose and conditions of stay planned to be in the Schengen area and have sufficient means of subsistence, both during the planned period in the Schengen area and for returning to Gibraltar.
- Not staying in the Schengen area for more than 90 days In any 180 day period.
- In the future, you will have a Prior permission Within the ETIAS system.
To verify that these entry conditions are met, the Schengen Area authorities are obliged to implement them. “Strict controls“Depending on the system, both at the entrance and at the exit from the Schengen area,” the memo reads. Therefore, if negotiations with the EU do not come to a successful conclusion, Gibraltar identity document holders may have to undergo the same checks at the land border with Spain, or at other points of entry into the Schengen area as British citizens holding Gibraltar civil registration cards are currently subject to.
The result of these checks may lead to the refusal of entry to Spain and the Schengen Area for those who, in the opinion of the authorities of the said area, including the Spanish authorities at the land borders with Spain, do not meet the entry requirements. Decision.
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