#Gibraltar, y a pas l’feu au rocher…
L’Union européenne arrivera bien à trouver un créneau avant Noël pour créer la commission ad hoc .
Gibraltar : Cameron veut une action plus rapide de la Commission européenne
▻http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2013/08/16/gibraltar-cameron-veut-une-action-plus-rapide-de-la-commission-europeenne_34
L’Union européenne a annoncé qu’elle allait envoyer des observateurs en septembre ou octobre mais le premier ministre attend une intervention plus rapide. Selon le porte-parole de M. Cameron, « le président Barroso a répondu que la Commission européenne suivait de près la situation et qu’après une évaluation juridique approfondie, ils n’hésiteraient pas à prendre les mesures nécessaires pour faire respecter le droit de l’UE ». Selon un communiqué rendu public à Bruxelles, « le président Barroso a expliqué que la Commission suivait la situation d’une manière permanente et ferait ce qui relève de sa compétence pour assurer le respect des règles de l’UE ».
D’ici là, entre manifestations de marins pêcheurs (ce matin),…
GBC | Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation
▻http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=2255
38 Spanish fishing vessels showed up at the waters off the North Mole on Sunday morning for a demonstration against the artificial reef constructed by Gibraltar. They were accompanied by Guardia Civil vessels. A tense stand-off ensued involving vessels of the Royal Gibraltar Police, Defence Police, Port Authority and the Royal Navy.
The demonstration began at 10 several hundred metres west of the runway, and saw the Spanish fishing boats accompanied by three Guardia Civil launches and the larger Rio Guadiana. Seven or eight pleasure craft also gathered, including several from Gibraltar.
There was a sustained attempt by a small number of fishing boats to breach the police cordon and attempt to move towards Western Beach. This was was repelled by some strong manoeuvres by large Port and RGP vessels, who blocked them off. Meanwhile, over a hundred people gathered on shore watching the demonstration and waving Gibraltar flags. The protest, which ended at around midday, passed without serious incident.
… et manœuvres navales (demain)…
Les pêcheurs espagnols manifestent contre le récif de Gibraltar - Le Point
▻http://www.lepoint.fr/monde/les-pecheurs-espagnols-manifestent-contre-le-recif-de-gibraltar-18-08-2013-1
Lundi, un navire de guerre britannique, la frégate HMS Westminster, accompagné de deux bateaux, doit faire escale à Gibraltar pour participer à ces manoeuvres militaires.
… on arrivera bien à avoir un vrai, bel incident.
Tout cela n’est pas bon pour le petit commerce frontalier.
Booming Gibraltar fears new era of sour relations with Spain | Reuters
▻http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/18/uk-gibraltar-idUKBRE97H05P20130818
Spain, meanwhile, complains that Gibraltar is soft on money-laundering, contraband and tax evasion. All issues that Gibraltar insists it has cleaned up.
Spain says it seized 139 million illegal cigarettes smuggled in from Gibraltar last year. Gibraltar has no sales tax, so cigarettes cost 60 percent of what they cost in Spain.
Just inside Gibraltar, within sight of Spanish customs agents, stands a small kiosk where a harried sales clerk sells cigarette cartons to a perpetual line of customers, many of whom stop there every day.
They tear open the cartons and distribute cigarette packs into their pockets, handbags and shopping bags, in an effort to get around the four-pack limit for Spaniards.
“We all have to eat,” said one woman who did not want to be named, hiding cigarettes in her baby carriage before she walked over the border to Spain. Each carton represents a profit of 2 euros on the other side of the border for smugglers.