UK agrees to fund Brexit contingency projects in Gibraltar

The United Kingdom will contribute more than £1 million towards Gibraltar’s Brexit contingency projects under two new Memorandums of Understanding signed by the Gibraltar and UK governments this week.

The UK will pay the £390,000 cost of building a new ferry ramp in the port of Gibraltar.

It will also provide an additional £862,000 for the purchase of a machine to shred, bale and wrap waste for storage and subsequent export by container.

Both projects will add to Gibraltar’s resilience in the event of a hard Brexit or difficulties at the border after withdrawal from the EU.

The MoUs were signed in London on Wednesday by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Christopher Pincher, the UK’s Minister for Europe, during the 10th Joint Ministerial Council for Gibraltar.

“The United Kingdom Government has once again showed its commitment to the people of Gibraltar through the Memoranda of Understanding that were signed during the meeting and by providing direct financial support in respect of the funding of the contingency projects required to deal with a potential hard Brexit, or the resilience we will require in the absence of a deal with the EU at the end of a transition period,” Mr Picardo said.

“We will continue to work closely together as we await the outcome of elections in Spain this month and in the UK itself next month.”

The construction of the port ferry ramp has already been completed and was tested earlier this month.

“The objective of this project is to provide Gibraltar with greater resilience by sea in the event of the difficult border,” No.6 Convent Place said in a statement.

The purchase of a rubbish shredder is also designed to provide greater resilience in the area of Gibraltar’s waste storage and export, No.6 added.

The JMC was one of several meetings with UK government officials from different departments held in parallel to the Gibraltar Day events in London this week.

The Gibraltar Brexit team and was led by the Chief Minister and included Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia, Attorney General Michael Llamas and Financial Secretary Albert Mena.

The United Kingdom delegation was led by Mr Pincher and included officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Exiting the European Union.