Latest news with #post-Brexit
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Spain gets new powers over visas, residence permits in Gibraltar
The European Union and UK agreed to give Spain new powers over the issuance of residency permits, visas and asylum in Gibraltar , as part of an accord to settle the post-Brexit border arrangements for the British overseas territory. A special role is foreseen for Spain in Gibraltar, a European Commission spokesperson told Bloomberg. The new system will allow Madrid to ensure the EU's visa-free Schengen area will be fully preserved once border protections are removed between the territory and the South of Spain. A political agreement reached in early June, if ratified, will eliminate all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods moving between Gibraltar and Spain, while establishing dual border controls at the port and airport of the territory. The authorities in Gibraltar will be able to issue a limited number of visas on humanitarian grounds with validity limited to its territory, an EU official said. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Both Schengen authorities and Gibraltar will play a role in asylum cases, said the official who was granted anonymity to share private discussions. The territory's government told Bloomberg that they would get the final decision on asylum cases and that while Spain will carry out residency checks, they will decide to grant a permit or not. Live Events Negotiating teams are finalizing the details of the agreement and will then begin the adoption and ratification process. Gibraltar is a self-governing British overseas territory that's reliant on the free movement of people traveling to and from Spain, which Brexit was meant to limit. Around 15,000 Spanish workers cross daily to work in the territory of 34,000 where both sides have been trying to avoid a hard border torpedoing the free flow of people and goods. The agreement 'does not compromise sovereignty in any respect and provides huge opportunities for traders in Gibraltar while, simultaneously, protecting the fluidity of people necessary for the continued success and expansion of our services industries, especially the online gaming, insurance and financial services sectors,' a spokesperson with the Gibraltar government said. The accord also foresees strong police and law enforcement cooperation, people familiar with the matter said. The new powers for Spain come against the backdrop of the difficult discussions both sides had over the status of Gibraltar airport and who controls it, with the UK insisting it won't agree to anything that compromises Gibraltar's sovereignty. The post-Brexit status of Gibraltar, a territory that the Spanish crown ceded to the UK in 1713, has been dragging on since the UK left the EU more than five years ago. The breakthrough achieved earlier this month came against the backdrop of the warmer ties between Brussels and the Labour government led by Keir Starmer. Both sides concluded in May a bilateral defense agreement and deals to ease the regulatory burden for UK firms exporting to the EU or EU fishermen access to the UK waters.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Welsh Government urged to invest in apprenticeships
The call comes in response to chancellor Rachel Reeves' announcement of £1.2 billion in annual funding for training and apprenticeships for over a million young people in England. The National Training Federation for Wales (NTFW) wants a similar commitment from the Welsh Government, which is set to receive £23 billion from the UK Government. Data from Medr, the regulator and funder of tertiary education and research in Wales, indicates that 1,880 fewer learners started apprenticeships in Wales between last August and January. The NTFW has consistently raised concerns about the potential impact of not replacing European funding for apprenticeships post-Brexit. Some sectors have been hit harder than others, with construction seeing a 26 per cent decline and health and social care experiencing a 10.5 per cent reduction in apprenticeship starts. Despite funding cuts, Wales has one of the UK's most successful apprenticeship programmes, with a completion rate of 74 per cent, outperforming England (61 per cent) and Northern Ireland (62 per cent). According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research, doubling investment in apprenticeships over the next Senedd term could generate an additional £3.4 billion in lifetime earnings for people in Wales over the next 30 years. The NTFW's call for more investment follows a meeting with Jack Sargent, the Wales minister for culture, skills, and social partnership. Lisa Mytton, NTFW's strategic director, said: "The Welsh Government could achieve crucial economic, health, and education priorities by investing more in apprenticeships and replacing lost European funding. 'Greater investment will create pathways for people of all backgrounds, whether starting their careers or reskilling for new opportunities, to thrive in industries essential to Wales' long-term prosperity."
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Tourist teases Brits because of difference between EU and UK queue at Spanish airport
Irish comedian Peter Flanagan arrived in Malaga Airport and recorded himself zooming past a queue of Brits who were waiting for non-EU border control A holidaymaker has divulged the advantages of travelling with an Irish passport post-Brexit, as he breezed through immigration at Malaga Airport while a long line of Brits queued for non-EU border control. Comedian Peter Flanagan captured his smooth passage and couldn't resist a cheeky jibe at the longer lines. Mocking the waiting Brits, he quipped: "The humble and brave country of Ireland. Look at that now, oh yeah, that's good, that's good." Since Britain's departure from the EU in 2020, British passport holders have been stripped of the free movement privilege once enjoyed within the EU and now have to join separate queues at EU borders. Reacting to his TikTok footage, one viewer remarked: "Yes, UK passport holders will be able to use e-gates in the EU, following an agreement between the UK and the EU, though implementation will be phased in starting in October 2025." Another chimed in with a personal anecdote: "I showed my Irish passport to UK customs officer and he said at least you have a real passport!". Another Irish citizen agreed, saying: "I showed my Irish passport in France and his words to me were ''Irish very good people, you go here' pointing me to a desk with no one waiting! The other queue was at least 100 long." Another commented on the Brexit vote's consequences: "This is what we voted for. Some of us were educated and knew this kind of thing would happen and didn't vote for this." Yet another defended the wait: "We British people would rather spend an extra 10 minutes waiting for immigration than waste billions to support the EU bureaucracy." One commenter wrote: "hhahahahhHAHAHAH I'm from Malaga, I've been at the airport thousand of times I can tell you FOR A FACT, that that empty lane he just walked into leads to a row of automatic scanners THAT DO NOT WORK (never have) so right after this video switched off, he turned around and got back in the queue."
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Windsor Framework structures ineffective and overly bureaucratic
Mr Robinson said that the post-Brexit trading deal could never be effective until fundamental issues around lack of consent from unionists are addressed. The SDLP's Stormont leader Matthew O'Toole said while he supported the framework, he believed there needed to be improvements in how Northern Ireland voices were heard within its structures. The House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee has been holding evidence sessions examining the operation of the framework. The Windsor Framework was agreed between the UK and the EU in 2023, amending the Northern Ireland Protocol. It governs post-Brexit trading arrangements in the region. The DUP later reached the Safeguarding the Union deal with the previous UK government to further reduce some checks and paperwork on goods moving from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland, leading to the restoration of the powersharing Executive at Stormont last year. However, many unionists remain opposed to the framework, stating it creates a new regulatory border within the United Kingdom and because Northern Ireland continues to follow some EU laws relating to goods. During his appearance before the committee, Mr Robinson was asked to assess the extent to which voices in Northern Ireland could be heard through the structures of the framework. He said: 'I don't have a lot of faith in the current structures. 'When you consider the ability for politicians, parliamentarians, stakeholders, businesses, to engage with them. 'The structures around the Windsor Framework, though they may have evolved, are ineffective, opaque and overly bureaucratic. The UK and EU agreed the Windsor Framework in 2023 (PA) 'They frustrate the ability for ordinary, routine and at times complex and serious engagement to either satisfy, resolve or ameliorate some of the harmful impositions that Northern Ireland finds itself in under these arrangements.' The DUP leader added: 'I believe it cannot ever be effective until the fundamentals are resolved around the imposition that Northern Ireland was placed in without the consent of any elected unionist in Northern Ireland, without the consent of party colleagues in Westminster.' In December, MLAs at Stormont voted to continue with the current arrangements for at least another four years in a democratic consent motion, which was part of the arrangements agreed between the UK and the EU. However, unlike other votes at Stormont, there was no requirement for cross-community support for the motion. Mr Robinson told peers: 'Though we have gone through a cycle of a parliamentary vote in Assembly terms in December of 2024, an inversion of cross-community protections. 'A false choice, do you wish this imposition to continue for a period of eight years or four years with a potential review. 'I don't believe they have been effective at all and if the Government were serious about increasing the opportunity to have voices heard and engage fundamentally in the propositions that are causing material impact, both constitutionally and practically in Northern Ireland, then they wouldn't only find an effective mechanism for that engagement but they would look at the fundamentals.' He added: 'We have at the heart of this an agreement between the UK and the EU where they decide what is going to happen to Northern Ireland without any recourse to the citizenry of Northern Ireland or the elected representatives. 'Then you have the attempt or the added aspects of inclusion and participation but without any substantial or meaningful outworkings of that participation or inclusion.' Stormont opposition leader Matthew O'Toole of the SDLP said Brexit had caused political division in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr O'Toole told the committee that Brexit had led to 'real political division and controversy in Northern Ireland'. He added: 'I do think there can be a degree of, if not consensus, then some degree of agreement that we can improve the mechanisms by which stakeholders in Northern Ireland, be they politicians, business groups, trade unions, other parts of civic society, can have their voice heard in relation to the provisions of the protocol/Windsor Framework. 'I think they improved somewhat after the Windsor Framework was agreed in spring 2023, but I don't think they are there yet. 'Northern Ireland is in the position of being subject to a cohort of EU law, obviously I strongly support that as a necessity, but I probably do agree that our voice could be better heard in terms of making those laws or at least understanding how they are going to apply in Northern Ireland.' Mr O'Toole added: 'The summary answer is not quite where it should be, and I say that as someone who supports the provisions of the Windsor Framework and the protocol.'
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Windsor Framework structures 'ineffective'
The structures of the Windsor Framework are "ineffective, opaque and overly bureaucratic", DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said. Mr Robinson said that the post-Brexit trading deal could never be effective until fundamental issues around lack of consent from unionists are addressed. The House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee has been holding evidence sessions examining the operation of the framework. The Windsor Framework was agreed between the UK and the EU in 2023, amending the Northern Ireland Protocol. It governs post-Brexit trading arrangements in the region. The DUP later reached the Safeguarding the Union deal with the previous UK government to further reduce some checks and paperwork on goods moving from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland, leading to the restoration of the powersharing Executive at Stormont last year. However, many unionists remain opposed to the framework, stating it creates a new regulatory border within the United Kingdom and because Northern Ireland continues to follow some EU laws relating to goods. No faith in current structures During his appearance before the committee, Mr Robinson was asked to assess the extent to which voices in Northern Ireland could be heard through the structures of the framework. He said: "I don't have a lot of faith in the current structures. "When you consider the ability for politicians, parliamentarians, stakeholders, businesses, to engage with them. "The structures around the Windsor Framework, though they may have evolved, are ineffective, opaque and overly bureaucratic. "They frustrate the ability for ordinary, routine and at times complex and serious engagement to either satisfy, resolve or ameliorate some of the harmful impositions that Northern Ireland finds itself in under these arrangements." The DUP leader added: "I believe it cannot ever be effective until the fundamentals are resolved around the imposition that Northern Ireland was placed in without the consent of any elected unionist in Northern Ireland, without the consent of party colleagues in Westminster." In December, MLAs at Stormont voted to continue with the current arrangements for at least another four years in a democratic consent motion, which was part of the arrangements agreed between the UK and the EU. However, unlike other votes at Stormont, there was no requirement for cross-community support for the motion. Mr Robinson said: "Though we have gone through a cycle of a parliamentary vote in Assembly terms in December of 2024, an inversion of cross-community protections. "A false choice, do you wish this imposition to continue for a period of eight years or four years with a potential review? "I don't believe they have been effective at all and if the Government were serious about increasing the opportunity to have voices heard and engage fundamentally in the propositions that are causing material impact, both constitutionally and practically in Northern Ireland, then they wouldn't only find an effective mechanism for that engagement but they would look at the fundamentals." He added: "We have at the heart of this an agreement between the UK and the EU where they decide what is going to happen to Northern Ireland without any recourse to the citizenry of Northern Ireland or the elected representatives. "Then you have the attempt or the added aspects of inclusion and participation but without any substantial or meaningful outworkings of that participation or inclusion."
