Charlie Smith
THE Government has opened a ‘Brexit Office’ in Gibraltar in a bid to calm the Rock’s residents ahead of the UK’s departure from the EU on October 31.
Unveiled by the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia, the new site aims to be an information point for Gibraltarians preparing for Brexit.
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The office at at 323 Main Street, opposite John Mackintosh Hall, is open on weekdays from 9am to 3pm.
Leaflets with information on EHIC cards, passports, businesses and more are to be released by the office during the next week.
At the new site’s launch Garcia warned the Rock ‘not to panic’ despite also saying that life will be ‘very different’ outside the EU.
The politician said the Government was working towards a ‘reasonable worst case scenario’ in the event that Gibraltar and the UK crash out of the EU without a deal on Halloween.
“I think people need to understand that life outside the EU will be very different from life inside it,” he told GBC.
“Once we are no longer a member of the club, we will no longer be subject to the rules and we will no longer be able to benefit from them.
“Things will be very different, there are solutions, but the solutions will involve processes and procedures, which are more complicated.
“Driving licenses for example, we now know that to drive in the EU, you will need an international driving permit.
“If you are driving to Spain, you will need one type of permit, if you are driving to Portugal you will need a different type of permit as well.
“That is what life outside the EU unfortunately means.”
