The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia has said that although Gibraltar prefers a treaty to govern our relationship with the European Union, there are fundamental red lines which the Government is not prepared to cross in order to achieve it. Dr Garcia was speaking in Brighton today at the annual party conference of the U.K. Liberal Democrats.
This past year has seen the consolidation of environmental thinking in Government policy and action, cascading and percolating well into the private sector. On looking back and taking stock, Mr Speaker, I am at the same time embarrassed at the huge environmental deficit Gibraltar held to the rest of the world in 2011, as I am proud of the way that it has advanced since.
Coinciding with the visit of UK Europe Minister to Gibraltar, David Lidington, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has this week insisted that the British Government has ‘shown weakness in response to a concerted Spanish campaign directed at Gibraltar.’
The Defenders of Gibraltar met yesterday with the Minister for Europe David Lidington. ACSTEG, For A Humanitarian Border and VOGG were also present.The Defenders of Gibraltar expressed their concerns regarding the continued harassment and bullying of Gibraltarians and cross frontier workers by the Spanish Government. The group explained that not enough was being done from a UK perspective to rein in Spain, adding that the the effect of this “fence-sitting” was beginning to affect “our economy and way of life.”