The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, said on Wednesday that «a new stage of shared prosperity» is opening, after the demolition of the Border of the Línea de la Concepción and the entry of Gibraltar into the Schengen area.
The president has stressed that «a new time of opportunities is opening up for the more than 300,000 Andalusians who live in the Campo de Gibraltar» because, in his opinion and for decades, the Border «has been an open wound for the thousands of workers who crossed every day without knowing when they would arrive at their jobs».
Sánchez alluded to Greek mythology and the Pillars of Hercules to remember that it was in that area where they delimited the border of the known world. «That has always been the destiny of the Campo de Gibraltar, to be a meeting point between seas, between cultures and between continents and that is the true meaning, or at least the one I would like to claim at today’s event, that we are opening a new time, full of opportunities,» he said.
NEW MEASURES
Sánchez explained that, with regard to the free movement of people, Spain will exercise Schengen powers at the port and airport of Gibraltar to guarantee the security of the European external border and full visa control.
Secondly, he also explained that in terms of the free movement of goods, a customs union is established between the European Union and Gibraltar and fiscal convergence is achieved indirectly that will put an end to historical imbalances.
In addition, in the field of transport, Gibraltar airport is opened to civil traffic with a shared management model, «precisely to offer new opportunities for connectivity, tourism, investment and the development of the entire Campo de Gibraltar», Sánchez defended.
He also explained that any citizen of the European Union with legal residence in Spain will be able to exercise an activity as an employee in Gibraltar without discrimination and under equal conditions. And finally, the agreement will also create a social fund to promote cohesion and solidarity between Gibraltar and Spain that will be financed by the European Union and the United Kingdom and will contribute «decisively», as he explained, to alleviating inequalities on both sides with concrete actions in training and employment.
