The Gibraltar chief minister, Fabián Picardo, as well as the governor of the Rock, Benjamin Bathurst, passed through the Gate without having the relevant authorization, at least on one occasion. This is reflected in information published by the media.
According to the aforementioned article, the chief inspector of the National Police responsible for the border post at La Verja has recorded that Picardo, along with his escorts, entered Spanish territory without the relevant authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The writing
Thus, and according to the aforementioned media, the chief inspector’s letter stated the following: “The Schengen Border Code, in its article 6, includes the entry conditions for third-country nationals, and in its section 1. e) states that one of the conditions to be able to authorize the entry into Schengen territory of a traveler from a third state is not to pose a threat to…///… the international relations of any of the Member States”.
In this sense, it is also argued in the writing that there have been cases in the past that ended in conflicts: “Remember the case of Brahim Ghali and the international crisis that his entry into Spain through the Zaragoza Air Base entailed.” And he sentences: “To avoid these situations there is an action protocol by which it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that evaluates the impact on international relations that the personality’s entry into the Schengen area may entail and, if there is no objection to its entry in the Schengen area, it is transferred to the Ministry of the Interior”.
