Can you explain the reasons behind the financial crisis in La Linea?

In general terms, all ayuntamientos in Spain are immersed in a crippling economic crisis. The reason for this is that the Government in Madrid makes monthly payments to the municipalities so they can function properly, but this funding has not been revised for years and is now wholly insufficient. Recently an agreement has been reached for the financing of autonomous governments and regions, but nothing has been done in respect of ayuntamientos. This is a matter that the Government still has pending.

 

Additionally, until now, a large chunk of our income came from taxes derived from development projects and the construction industry. The huge crisis affecting this sector has made the problem affecting ayuntamientos even more acute. On top of everything, bear in mind that ayuntamientos in Spain are responsible for the delivery of public services that derive from devolved powers held by the autonomies, which means that projects for which we are not officially responsible have to be part funded by us, and then you will easily imagine the economic problem we face.

Briefly, what is the 'deuda historica' you often refer to? What is the 'Carta Especial Economica' that all political parties in the Ayuntamiento are unanim-ously supporting? How did La Linea benefit when it was applied by the previous PP Government in Spain?

To answer that question we must go back to the origins of the city which can be traced to the Spanish military presence as a result of Gibraltar. When La Linea came into being in the 19th century, it was granted a very small portion of land (termino municipal), which means that we have never been able to benefit from the presence of great industries. When the border closed in 1969, we lost practically half the population as people had to emigrate in search of employment. This caused a social fracture, chaos. La Linea has suffered all the problems derived from Spain's national policy of state in respect of the Rock. No other city has been affected by such dramatic repercussions over this issue, difficulties which have not been addressed or resolved. To give you an example, when the border closed the development plan that was put into effect, benefited places like San Roque, because they had massive land assets where large industries could be established. Nothing was done here in La Linea. We have suffered all the inconveniences and we have never had any compensation. Everything can be evaluated, and we are seeking compensation now. We did have some compensation during the Aznar era, when we received monthly economic support for many years, but which was finally lost.

The 'historic debt' must be settled in the only way it can be, through a special economic charter for the city, just as we had with the previous Government in Madrid. Just imagine what it would mean for Gibraltar if half the population had been forced to leave because of a policy of state. This is what happened to La Linea and I assure you the economic crisis it caused has not been overcome.

What is the position of the La Linea PSOE on this issue? Do they support the initiative?

I certainly hope that they do because this is not a point of discrepancy between Spanish political parties. It is merely a question of acknowledging what our city suffered, and what its citizens went through in those years. There is consensus on this issue between all the political parties in the Ayuntamiento. I hope and expect that this unanimity can be extended to the Junta de Andalucia and above all to the Government in Madrid.

In your view is the Opposition acting in the best interests of La Linea or following instructions from the central government? Can you give examples?

I do not think that a Government will issue instructions to prejudice the interests of any city in Spain. There can be disagreements, but if these are properly formulated, they should be admitted. The political parties that form the opposition in the Ayuntamiento, have a duty to hold us to account, to monitor and control our performance at the helm of the municipality. I trust that whatever initiative they take, or whatever proposal they put forward, is carried out in the best interests of our city and not with any electoral intention in mind.

In terms of examples, I cannot understand why they insist on criticizing the financial state of the Ayuntamiento and accuse us of having led the institution to a ruinous state. And I fail to understand this because in the Campo area, in absolute terms, the municipality that is most heavily in debt is that of Algeciras, and in terms of the ratio of debt per inhabitant it is Los Barrios. In effect Los Barrios and Tarifa are the two municipalities with the largest social security debt in the whole of Spain. Whenever the PSOE in La Linea are critical of the Ayuntamiento's financial position, they never talk about these other places where the PSOE are in power. They act as if La Linea was a city lost in an ocean and it was impossible to draw any comparisons. The facts speak for themselves, and other municipalities are in a much worse position than we are, that is why I cannot accept or understand their line of reasoning.

What is your reaction to remarks by Sr Landaluce that he was playing the 'bad guy' in respect of Gibraltar and that he understood that as Mayor of La Linea your perception and experience of Gibraltar was different to his?

I am not familiar with the totality of Sr Landaluce's remarks. In any event I must say that I have my party's full support in the local circumstances in respect of Gibraltar.

You have recently unveiled plans which highlight the importance of Gibraltar as a focus of employment and economic wealth for the Campo. Will this be frowned upon by your party in Madrid and are you concerned by this?

No, on the contrary. The Partido Popular is fully aware of the unemployment problem in Spain and understand that something of this scale demands great solutions. We know that there are employment possibilities in Gibraltar, in sectors of the economy different to the traditional ones of the past. Therefore it is in our interest to know what Gibraltar needs in terms of manpower requirements are, so that we can 'recycle' our own sadly unemployed labour and train them to be able to occupy these jobs. Creating opportunities searching for jobs and delivering solutions to our people, wherever these may come from, is also the job of a mayor, and I am hard at it. My party does not give me any directive in relation to this. No-one in the Partido Popular knows the reality of Gibraltar better than me that is very clear in my mind, and is something the PP is also well aware of.

How do you view relations with Gibraltar progressing over the next few years?

I am optimistic. They will improve little by little, I am sure of this. But I speak about what I know, and that is about our two cities, La Linea and Gibraltar. There is a wide range of themes that interest citizens but which regrettably have not been advanced upon between and by us. For example educational matters, cultural activities and sporting exchanges, a good number of issues which are far removed from flags, ideas of independence, sovereignty claims or anything like it. My objective is to achieve a point where both cities can complement each other perfectly. Also, I am very keen in exploring and offering investment opportunities in our city to Gibraltarian businessmen. In short what I want is cross-border cooperation in many areas of the economy to the mutual benefit of both our cities. The people of Gibraltar and La Linea would never forgive us politicians if we went down the route of turning our backs on each other, turning our backs on this reality. But I must reiterate that all this must be done outside the high level 'politics of state', it must be closer to the ground, something more natural: two cities and their respective governments engaged in cooperation.

You have also spoken about the need for developing cross-border social relations. Can you elaborate on this?

I have partly responded to that in the previous question. Is it possible for the inhabitants on both sides to live, to communicate, to enjoy themselves and establish relations without caring about what Madrid and London may think? I think that the answer to that is 'Yes'. Citizens on both sides have already attained day to day normality in their exchanges. That is what I mean in socialising relations, that is what the future is all about, a means to prosperity for two cities that want what is best for each other. I want Gibraltar to progress and to prosper and I am sure that Gibraltarians for their part also want to see La Linea improve more and more.

You have plans for an official meeting with Chief Minister Peter Caruana...

Yes. A date has been already announced, February 26th in Gibraltar. I requested a meeting with Mr Caruana recently when we coincided at the tribute to Sir Joshua Hassan that was held in Gibraltar. It was a friendly and cordial encounter. I am sure that the Chief Minister and I will understand one another because we want the same things, and that is to achieve what is best for our citizens. This is my desire and you and the people of Gibraltar will no doubt see how much emphasis I place on achieving cross-border normality and that we can understand one another so that the people on both sides reap the benefits of the agreements that can result on a wide range of issues.

What have been your personal connections with Gibraltar in the past?

My links with Gibraltar go back much more than people can imagine. I am probably the only Spanish politician who has studied here, and who actually formed part of an orchestra in Gibraltar, where I played the violin. As you can see I have strong associations with the Rock, although as a politician I have not had the opportunity before to have a close involvement. Then I have had many conversations with Gibraltarian friends, with businessmen and politicians on an informal basis. I am convinced that I know the spirit of the Gibraltarians, and that they will be able

to see in me a person of their utmost trust and confidence.

I could not betray persons who treated me with great affection and respect when I was a child.

How would cross-border relations and the Tripartite Forum be affected by a hypothetical general election victory by the PP in Madrid? Would there be a deterioration from the current state of play?

It would in all likelihood affect the representation, the composition of delegations. My party understands that when the Tripartite Forum discusses domestic issues and cross-border relations, La Linea should be present, in the same way as Gibraltar. In that sense it would affect the situation.

If your question is taken to mean whether Spain would abandon the Forum in those circumstances, and discontinue the current approach, then the answer is 'No' and clearly my desire is also that it should not abandon the Forum. We will continue to work in it, striving to consolidate benefits and improvements and to solve problems that affect us all. If those measures are accompanied by commitments by the Spanish and UK Governments, all the better. I want to make clear that it is precisely the PSOE that is saying that the Forum would be dissolved if the PP were to win the next general elections in Spain, but what they are saying will not happen.

How do you view your term of office in La Linea? Are you in an impossible situation? Will you be leading the PP in La Linea at the next municipal elections?

I never thought it would be easy to carry out the job of Mayor in La Linea. It is complicated, but at the same time it is exciting and we are hopeful of achieving our goals. We have the problem of lack of economic resources as I have explained, but I am sure that little by little we will be able to solve our difficulties. I can see that many people will view my job as extremely complicated, because in fact it is. It will require a great deal of effort and time. I am a Linense and obviously it is a source of pride for me to be leading the Ayuntamiento. It is my intention to be a candidate for next year's municipal elections, but this is a decision for the party to make.