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<p>The delays imposed by the Spanish authorities at the border with Gibraltar continue
to have a significant impact, resulting in significant changes in behaviour at the
border: visitor arrivals in Gibraltar are down and vehicle traffic has fallen. The
Government is concerned about the impact that border delays are having on businesses
in both Spain and Gibraltar.</p><p>Since the beginning of the disruption last summer,
the Government has raised this issue regularly with the European Commission. We recently
sent detailed information on the delays, supplied by Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar,
to the Director General for Home Affairs, together with an update on the steps taken
by Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar to address the recommendations made to them
by the Commission. Ministers have also been in direct contact with the Commission,
including the Commissioner for Home Affairs. In our conversations we stressed the
need for the Commission to make follow-up visits to monitor the continuing delays.
We continue to request that the Commission urge Spain to act on their recommendations
and return border checks to reasonable and proportionate levels.</p>
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