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Vol. 8 Issue 234 www.theolivepress.es October 16th - October 29th 2024
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GIBRALTAR drivers nipping across the border to Spain have racked up nearly 3,000 unpaid traffic fines – the majority for speeding. With a population of just 32,000 citizens, it accounts for almost one in ten Gibraltarians owing money to Spanish authorities. According to newly released figures, around 2,000 are for speeding, and the total is likely to run into the hundreds of thousands. Despite a recent agreement between Spain and the UK to enhance the sharing of traffic information, Spanish authorities are struggling to collect these fines. While Gibraltarian drivers must pay fines in Spain on the spot if caught committing an offence, such as speeding, those captured by traffic cameras cannot be pursued as letters cannot be sent to their homes across the border. However the main barrier to collecting is because Gibraltar residents have foreign bank accounts which can’t be accessed by Spanish debt chasers. It means that they effectively get away scott free.
Speeding
But the problem goes two ways. The Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) similarly lack access to Spanish driver data, making it impossible for them to issue fines to Spaniards who break traffic rules on the Rock. An agreement signed between Spain and the UK in March 2023 allowed both nations to share information on drivers and vehicles. It was intended to crack down on traffic violations such as speeding, failure to wear seat belts, and drink or drug driving. But as of now, bank issues mean that drivers are getting away without paying their fines.
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Making a splash
HMS Cutlass has made a splash on her port visit to Tangier, Morocco, where she engaged in joint exercises with the Royal Moroccan Navy. Lieutenant Commander Henry Kilby, The CO of the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron, led the mission, conducting official calls with top local military commanders. This marked the ship’s second port visit this year, following a jaunt to Portugal in May. The visit builds on HMS Dagger’s earlier trip to Tangier in May 2023, laying the groundwork for even stronger ties between the two Royal Navies. Kilby received a red-carpet welcome at the
5th Naval Base, meeting with Captain Zitouni and Senior Captain Omari, the Northern Maritime Sector Commander. HMS Cutlass is back in Gibraltar now, ready to resume her sovereignty operations alongside HMS Dagger.
Pressure is on ‘Say yes to a deal or Gibraltar faces new border controls’: threatens Spain SPAIN’S foreign minister has piled pressure on the UK to ‘say yes’ to the deal on offer over Gibraltar before new border controls come in. “The proposed plan provides for the inclusion of Gibraltar in the Schengen zone and freedom of movement for people and goods,” Jose Manuel Albares said after a meeting with Campo de Gibraltar mayors in Madrid. But he warned: “It is the United Kingdom that has to decide whether it prefers that or the new border controls.” The European Union’s new Entry Exit System may bring an abrupt halt to the current relaxed ‘wave through’ regime upon which Gibraltar normally relies. The details of the treaty Spain and the EU have offered is still underwraps as the negotiations are ongoing. But if it is accepted, it will see
BLOCK: If Gibraltar doesn’t agree to uniformed Spanish on the border
By Walter Finch
Gibraltar incorporated into the Schengen zone and the current physical border fence removed. “We have been negotiating this deal for many years,” Albares continued. “I am the fourth foreign minister to sit at the table. It is time for the United Kingdom to say yes to an agreement that is balanced and generous and that we put on the table a long time ago.” However, despite all the technical complexities that have reportedly been overcome, there remains one large, incontrovertible sticking point. Spain is thought to insist that if Gibraltar is to be part of the Schengen zone, Spanish uniformed and armed officers must control the points of entry – namely Gibraltar’s airport and port. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has followed in the footsteps of a long line of chief ministers in flatly
rejecting this outcome, having openly signalled that the territory will choose to continue without a treaty. It thus sets the stage for a game of chicken in which a no-deal that will damage the entire region looks a likely outcome. Albares said last week that his demands were ‘simply the application of the Schengen regulations as they are everywhere’. “I see some Gibraltarian authorities very concerned about
uniforms, I am not concerned about them,” he said. “I simply want the application of the Schengen regulations as they are everywhere. “And exactly the same for the freedom of goods. I do not give (uniforms) more or less importance, but the Schengen area, wherever it is applied, has to be done uniformly. “And, if it is extended to Gibraltar, it will have to work exactly the same as in the rest of that area.”
THE CURSED TOWN THAT ONLY THE POPE CAN SAVE
FLUID: Crossing the border needs to be quick and painless
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952 147 834 See pages 9 & 14
*Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services.
*Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services. TheOlivePress-256x170-Multi2404.indd 1
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