MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gibraltar begins domestic round of assessment to determine impact of no access to EU membership

CM Picardo is asking all ministers to look at every sphere of their ministerial responsibilities and report back to him and to the Deputy CM by the end of August.

The Gibraltar government has started an assessment to determine the impact of not having access to membership of the European Union and of the consequences of an exit. The assessment will look at every area of government business with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo asking all ministers to look at every sphere of their ministerial responsibilities and report back to him and to the Deputy Chief Minister by the end of August.

 There will also be full consultation with industry sectors, with the Trade Unions and with the public.

This follows the agreement with the new Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for input from Gibraltar to be provided into the same exercise taking place in the UK. The assessment aims to identify areas which require specific negotiation but also new business opportunities that will become available.

In the knowledge that the UK Government does not intend to invoke Article 50 immediately, there will be more time for the emergence of a coherent UK negotiating position, which will take into consideration the positions of Scotland and Gibraltar.

The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, whose office is coordinating the exercise, says this is crucial work that must be done to keep all our options open and ensure we emerge from the aftermath of the effect of the EU Referendum stronger than ever. He adds, the Gibraltar government is also looking at a formula to allow for structured cooperation with the Opposition

Earlier this week Spain anticipated it will veto any Brexit negotiating process which includes recognition of British Sovereignty over Gibraltar. Caretaker foreign affairs minister, Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, said Spain had to make clear to the EU that Gibraltar does not belong to the UK and therefore any negotiated status for the Rock, had to be approved unanimously.

García Margallo was speaking after a brief by encounter with UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Brussels on Monday on the sidelines of an EU Foreign Council meeting.

Ahead of that meeting, Mr Johnson had made clear that the UK would stand by its double-lock sovereignty commitment to Gibraltar and would “fully involve” Gibraltar in discussions on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.