Voted Best
ISSUE NO. 1760
28 March - 3 April 2019
THE Spanish government is doing its best to prepare for all possible Brexit scenarios and to reduce the impact on British citizens, whatever the eventual outcome. That was the message from the Spanish Foreign Ministry’s Director General for Integration and Coordination of General Affairs in the EU at an informative meeting on Brexit organised by PSOE-Somos Mojacar in the Mojacar Parador on Monday. Speaking exclusively to the Euro Weekly News, Jose Pascual Marco emphasised, “We want to send out a message of calm, but we don’t want to deceive people. “Leaving the European Union is not a joke. And although the Spanish government is trying to minimise the trauma, it is a trauma.” Coming to Mojacar straight from a European Council meeting, and in the midst of maximum Brexit uncertainty, Sr Marco told the packed meeting room the common thinking is there is only a “very slim” possibility of the UK “crashing out” of the EU. But he stressed, “We have got to prepare for that chance.” UK residents “have nothing to worry about for the time be-
Young soldier shot and killed A YOUNG member of the Spanish Legion based in Viator has died after being shot during a training exercise in Alicante. The 22-year-old soldier, Alejandro Jimenez Cruz from Palma de Mallorca, was taking part in a live fire exercise involving around 100 soldiers on Monday evening. The Legionnaire was rushed by military ambulance to hospital, but lost his battle for life before he reached there. The Defence Ministry has
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Preparing for Brexit fallout
NO JOKE: The Spanish government’s Director General for Integration and Coordination of General Affairs in the EU made it clear Brexit is a very serious business. ing” if there is an orderly Brexit, he clarified. In a no-deal scenario the safety nets are international law and European Commission contingency measures, the Commission giving member-states some ‘leeway’ to supplement these measures. Sr Marco detailed Spain’s preparations in the event of a UK withdrawal without an agreement, specifically a royal decree under which contingency measures would be adopted and offer assurances, albeit temporary, on matters like residency
and healthcare access. Although unilateral the expectation is this would be reciprocated by the British government. “I would say the philosophy of the Spanish government is that as far as possible we don’t want the British to suffer because of Brexit, and especially British people in Spain because they make a valuable contribution to our national life and are part of our country, and I think we’ve gone the extra mile to try and help,” he commented. Sr Marco responded to more
than 20 questions from the mainly British audience. He acknowledged Brexit will ‘touch many aspects of people’s lives,’ and promised to take note of queries he was unable to address and respond, adding the Spanish government would be releasing an explanatory document in English for British nationals over the coming days. “For me it’s been really valuable to be here: I’ve learnt a lot,” Sr Marco told EWN. “It’s important that public officials listen directly to people.”
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