Cameron: send EU monitors to Spain-Gibraltar border
Britain calls on the European Union to send monitors to the Spanish border with Gibraltar – saying it wants evidence to prove that increased checks are in breach of EU law.
Prime Minister David Cameron has asked European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to investigate the border checks on all traffic entering the territory of Gibraltar, which has led to long queues and delays of several hours.
Mr Cameron said Britain wanted to gather evidence that Spain’s decision to increase the checks were politically motivated and disproportionate.
He has asked the EU to investigate whether the checks violate European rules which guarantee the freedom of movement, amid the escalating dispute with Spain which it says was sparked by the creation of an artificial reef which will hamper their fishermen.
Spain has denied imposing the new frontier restrictions in retaliation over the reef, insisting they are legal and proportionate, and designed to tackle smuggling.
Downing Street said Britain was “collating evidence on the sporadic nature of these measures, which would prove that they are illegitimate”. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will also speak to his Spanish counterpart, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, to press home Britain’s message.
Earlier on Friday, the chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, said he had received death threats over the social messaging site Twitter after he strongly condemned Spain’s actions.
“I have had some extreme reactions to things I say,” he said, claiming that people were using the “cloak of anonymity” to post threatening remarks online.
Britian is still considering whether to take Spain to court over what it describes as the “unacceptable” delays at the border crossing.