Mancomunidad signals bid to strengthen cross-border ties

The Campo de Gibraltar must have good neighbourly relations with Gibraltar, a key driver of employment in the region, according to Luís Ángel Fernández, the Partido Popular chairman of the Mancomunidad de Municipios.

In an interview with the specialist website Solo Pymes, Sr Fernández said he and his team would work to improve cross border relations.

The comments are surprising because under the PP government, relations between the Mancomunidad and Gibraltar have been non-existent over the past four years.

Sr Fernández, a senior councillor in the Algeciras town council led by controversial PP mayor José Ignacio Landaluce, said good relations were compatible with the Spanish central government’s policies and those of the Junta de Andalucia.

The Mancomunidad brings together the various Campo municipalities and offers services to town councils in the region.

It handles Gibraltar’s urban waste under contract to the Gibraltar Government and also engages in sporting events such as the Strait Games.

“Our intention is to expand even more in the services that we offer and in the number of initiatives that encourage good neighbourly relations,” Sr Fernández reportedly said.

“But above all, we must consider Gibraltar as the big industry that it is for employment in the region.”

Sr Fernández added that the Mancomunidad was preparing an employment study in a bid to ensure that the Campo skills base matched demand in key sectors such as the port and the industrial complex, “…but also in Gibraltar as a first class global financial centre.”