The Diplomat
The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, reproaches the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation for its lack of response to the recommendation made in relation to complaints received about problems in accessing consular services at the Consulate General in London.
According to its annual report, although a recommendation was sent in March 2022 to the Directorate General of the Foreign Service of the department headed by José Manuel Albares, the Ombudsman’s office had not received a response at the time of drafting its annual report, published yesterday.
The recommendation was made because “despite all the measures taken so far and the time that has elapsed, the receipt of complaints about the inaccessibility of consular services in the country has not diminished”.
The report, to which Europa Press had access, specifies that “almost all citizens express dissatisfaction at not being able to have their documentation up to date, given the changes that have occurred due to Brexit”.
According to the recommendation, the Directorate General for Spaniards Abroad and Consular Affairs had previously informed the Ombudsman that the Consulate in London “lacks the space to increase the number of staff in the building where it is located, which means that it is impossible to increase the number of jobs, as well as the number of customer service counters, so it cannot cope with the existing demand for services”.
The Consulate in the British capital was serving some 250 people at the beginning of 2022, “despite having transferred almost all of the assistance procedures to the post office” under the ‘Shock Plan’ adopted following the UK’s exit from the EU and which “included measures to increase staffing levels, opening hours and the appointment system, prioritising those that required the most urgent appointments”.
The Ombudsman reminded the Foreign Ministry that, according to the Statute of Spanish citizens abroad, the Administration must provide “due assistance, protection and advice to Spanish citizens abroad”.
For this reason, Gabilondo had recommended to the Directorate General of the Foreign Service that “the necessary measures should be taken to ensure that the Spanish Consulate General in London has sufficient staff and the appropriate building to carry out its functions, providing a service to meet the existing demand, and that a system should be established to identify and deal with cases that require it as a matter of urgency”.
Problems in Havana
On the other hand, the Ombudsman also expressly mentions in his report the functioning of the Consular Civil Registry at the Consulate General in Havana, about which he has received “numerous complaints”.
According to the Ombudsman, they are still being received “for the Spanish nationality files that have yet to be resolved under the so-called Law of Historical Memory” of 2007 “which recognises and extends rights and establishes measures in favour of those who suffered persecution or violence during the civil war and the dictatorship”.
In addition to these complaints, the report states, “there are also those referring to the serious difficulties faced by Spanish citizens residing in that country in obtaining a prior appointment, which prevents them from carrying out any procedure at the Consular Civil Registry”.
In view of this situation, following the publication last November of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, which includes a consular digitalisation plan, the Ombudsman initiated proceedings with the Undersecretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “to ascertain the measures planned to improve the existing situation”, of which no further details are given in the report.
