Julie Girling, in a meeting with Fabian Picardo in 2013.
The Diplomat. Madrid
British MEP Julie Girling has tabled a question in the European Commission in which she suggests there should be spot checks at Gibraltar border crossing to ascertain if the facilities function correctly.
The question by the MEP, a member of the Conservative Party, which was tabled on 14 December 2015 and publicised only now by the Gibraltar Information Office, began pointing out that some Gibraltarians had contacted her to inform her of their concern for what they consider the “inadequacy of the facilities at the border crossing which must be used by the elderly, the handicapped or those who do have electronic documentation”.
“In addition,” she added, “there is also frustration caused by the fact that frequently, the passport readers do not always work or are inadequate”.
Although the question does not mention which side of the border crossing the MEP is referring to, it seems obvious that she is referring to the Spanish controls.
Whatever the case, she is specifically asking the Commission “to introduce spot check at the border crossing” and continues, saying that” there is anxiety because in previous checks, that were notified in advance, the procedure was streamlined on the date in question, which is not a true reflection of the day to day situation”.
