Cross Frontier Group to meet Spanish Foreign Ministry officials

The Spanish Foreign Ministry has offered the Cross Frontier Group a meeting with senior department representatives in order to discuss Brexit and its impact on Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar.

The Cross Frontier Group, which is composed of union and business organisations from Gibraltar and the Campo Area, recently wrote to the Spanish Foreign Minister, Josep Borrell, seeking a meeting to warn of the possible consequences of the Brexit negotiations for the citizens of the region.

In his reply, Spanish Foreign Office Director Camilo Villarino assured the group that Mr Borrell had already highlighted in the Spanish Parliament that his priority with regard to Brexit was to safeguard the interests of all citizens and in particular of cross-frontier workers.

He highlighted that Spain’s intention, given Gibraltar’s exit from the EU, was to avoid any damage to the economy of the neighbouring region given the existing interdependence between the two territories.

To this end the Spanish Foreign Ministry has offered the Cross Frontier Group a meeting with Juan Lopez-Herrera, Director General for South-West, Central and South-East Europe, in order to learn at first hand the groups’ views and to further inform its members of the ministry’s position on the matter.

“The Cross Frontier Group view the offer as very positive since it opens a pathway to dialogue between civil society agents and Spanish Government representatives at the highest level,” the group said in a statement.

“Equally, the members of the group see this meeting as an opportunity to transmit to the Government of Spain the concerns of the citizens of both communities given the uncertainty created by Gibraltar’s exit from the EU.”

“The CFG will urge all official parties in the Brexit negotiations to take into account the economic and social repercussions on both communities of any policy derived as a direct result of Brexit.”