MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Barroso said Spain denied queues at the Gibraltar border were ‘on purpose’

“EC will act on evidence border checks breach EU rules on freedom of movement”

The President of the European Commission said this week that Europe “would not hesitate to act” if it found evidence that Spanish border checks in the Gibraltar border breached EU rules on freedom of movement.

José Manuel Durão Barroso was responding to Gibraltarian Tony Evans during a question and answer session on social media last Thursday night.

Mr Barroso said Spain had denied that the queues were being generated “on purpose”, adding that officials in Madrid had pointed to “an influx” of people during the summer. Britain and Gibraltar meanwhile insist that the queues are politically motivated.

“I have in fact two different reports,” Mr Barroso said.

The Commission President said a date had yet to be fixed for the EC fact-finding mission to the border but that it would likely be this month. “We have to do it in an objective, impartial, independent manner,” he said.

“And afterwards of course, if there is a violation of any of the freedoms, we will not hesitate to act because we have to be sure that European law is respected.”

“But at this moment I cannot state what will be the next step before we make this mission that we are now preparing”.

Barroso said he had spoken to UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and urged them to resolve their differences in a civilised manner and engage in dialogue in good faith.

“But in matters where the European Union has competence, freedom of circulation of people or goods, then we’re going to act,” Barroso said.

“We’re acting already and have asked for some information from the sides involved.”

“And also in matters of possible tax fraud or smuggling, this we can also act and I intend to have this part of the mission.”

The last comment drew a concerned reaction from Gibraltar officials and in the UK because it suggested that the scope of the fact-finding mission could be expanded.

Spain is keen to widen the scope of the remit to include some of its long-standing bugbears including allegations of tax evasion, but Brussels officials have said on numerous occasions that it will be limited to border matters.

Spain has separately tabled environmental complaints relating to the artificial reef and land reclamation and these are already being assessed by the Commission.

In related news Spanish workers association Ascteg has sent a petition to the Pope asking him to intervene in the problems at the Gibraltar frontier. Complaining about the delays and the effect of controls they ask Pope Francis to help because they feel they have been failed by all the other institutions.

They put the problem down to the ‘obsession ‘mania’ of the Spanish Foreign minister.