Franco says Gib deal must not ignore La Linea’s unique challenges

By Maria Jesus Corrales

The mayor of La Linea, Juan Franco, called again for transparency and careful evaluation of the Gibraltar treaty and its impact on La Linea, adding the city deserved “special” consideration given it was the most affected of the Campo municipalities.

Speaking a day after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met in London and agreed to bolster UK/Spain bilateral relations, Mr Franco revealed the results of a survey of La Linea residents that found 75% of respondents feared the treaty would have a negative impact.

The London meeting was not about Gibraltar, though both Sir Keir and Mr Sanchez acknowledged it had cleared the way for a new bilateral agreement in areas ranging from trade to security.

In La Linea, Mr Franco and his team had been hoping for more.

“Our surprise is that the issue of Gibraltar was barely addressed, and for us, this is a matter of life and death,” Mr Franco told reporters during a press conference.

“We haven’t received any information whatsoever about the agreement since the last meeting with the [Spanish] Foreign Ministry, which included mayors and social representatives from the Campo area, on June 13, just two days after the political agreement was announced.”

“The alternative was no deal, which would mean our death.”

“We are pleased an agreement exists, but we’re concerned that, now that it’s signed, the matter might fall off the political agenda.”

“The situation of cross-border pensioners could be forgotten, as well as social needs in mixed families or issues affecting juveniles in a borderless scenario.”

“We need to focus on real people and their problems.”

The city council will send the Foreign Ministry in Madrid the final version of the memorandum outlining La Línea’s specific needs, which Mr Franco presented at a press conference on Thursday.

The council said it would be “requesting an urgent meeting.”

The document includes input from council members, local associations, the Cross-Border Workers’ Association, the University of Cádiz, and the Fishing Producers’ Organisation.

“The dismantling of the border is good news, but it will have major repercussions for our city, repercussions that are not being considered and could create massive inequalities,” Mr Franco said.

“This is obvious to us.”

Alongside the memorandum, the council will also send the results of a citizen survey carried out on its official social media pages, in both Spanish and English.

Out of 786 respondents (roughly 2.5% of La Línea’s population), 206 were cross-border workers and 168 were foreign residents.

Among those surveyed, 67% were aware of the preliminary agreement, 70% believe it will affect La Línea, and 75% foresaw negative impacts on employment.

The survey revealed that residents are demanding transparency and highlighting the “need for better institutional coordination”.

Respondents also called for clarity on critical infrastructure; what steps would be taken to prevent gentrification and a sharp rise in property prices; how environmental protections will be prioritised; and how citizen participation will be increased.

Mr Franco highlighted that residents want La Linea to “strengthen alliances with higher-level administrations” in Spain, both at national and regional level.

He stressed that the implementation of the future Brexit agreement was not solely the responsibility of the Spanish Government, as Junta de Andalucia “also has significant powers” in areas that will be impacted by the treaty.

Mr Franco was also adamant La Linea’s interests would not be overshadowed by those of other Campo municipalities.

“They are trying to exploit La Línea’s problem to serve other parts of the region,” he said.“We expect direct dialogue and for La Línea to represent itself on this matter.”

Mr Franco insisted the city council was “acting responsibly on matters that directly affect us” and “reiterating La Línea’s position since 2016”.

“We demand special treatment for our city, which is already suffering and will continue to suffer the effects of Brexit,” he said.