Latest news with #SchengenZone
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Gibraltar agrees 15% sales tax on goods in post-Brexit settlement with Spain
Gibraltar will apply a 15% sales tax on goods to avoid unfair competition with Spain, as a result of the agreement on the post-Brexit future of the British overseas territory, it has emerged. The territory has agreed to ensure a 15% minimum 'transaction tax' on goods within three years of the ratification of the agreement, according to a senior European official. 'For Gibraltar, it was a big ask, they have always claimed … that this taxation will create for them a serious economic problem,' the official said. The European Commission insisted that the British territory had to align its taxation policies with the EU in order to join a customs union, an integral part of the deal struck on Wednesday. 'The agreement that we have reached is that they will, in a period of three years, reach a level [on a transaction tax] that is acceptable for us,' the person said. The agreement, hailed as 'historic', will erase the border separating the British overseas territory from the rest of the Iberian peninsula. Gibraltar will be connected to the EU's border-free Schengen zone, meaning Gibraltarians can move freely in the surrounding region, although without rights to work and settle elsewhere in the EU. Passport checks will be carried out at the port and airport by British and Spanish border guards. Spanish officers will be empowered to deny entry to the British overseas territory to any British national who has already exceeded their 90-day stay limit. Under Schengen rules, UK citizens are limited to stays of 90 days within a 180-day period. Spanish customs officials will also check goods entering Gibraltar via the land border, the main entry point for nearly all items. The British overseas territory will eventually enter into a customs union with the EU, which requires a further agreement. Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has welcomed 'the tax convergence process that will ensure that everybody is treated fairly'. He said: 'Now Gibraltar is linked to the customs union. There will be fair competition for everybody. Madrid has long been concerned that cigarettes from Gibraltar were being illegally sold in Spain, while European anti-fraud investigators have warned about cross-border smuggling by organised crime. The government of Gibraltar, which is responsible for setting taxation on the British overseas territory, has been contacted for comment. The Gibraltar agreement came weeks after the UK and EU agreed on a wider reset. EU sources said completing the unfinished business of Brexit for Gibraltar was necessary to move forward in other areas, such as defence and a veterinary agreement. Spain has been blocking British participation in defence projects and could have proved an obstacle to future deals if the status of Gibraltar had not been agreed. 'Everyone wanted to find compromises, solutions, etc, and it was the right moment to do that,' the official said.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The major changes coming to the way Aussies travel to Europe in 2025 - what you need to know
Aussies planning a European vacation this year can expect to see a series of changes into the way they travel. New requirements such as fingerprinting and photographing upon arrival, as well as a new entry fee, are some of the new measures being rolled out across many European countries. Daily Mail Australia has put together a simple guide to help travellers stay informed and avoid any surprises before their next getaway. European Entry and Exit System A brand new European Entry and Exit System (EES) is set to be introduced in October this year. The EES will impact all non-European nationals, such as Australians, who are travelling in the Schengen Zone. The Schengen Zone is made up of 29 European countries that have removed internal border rules, which allows for visa-free travel between one another. It includes all 25 European Union member states, and four other countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The EES is a digital border, which requires all non-EU travelers to be fingerprinted and photographed before they can enter the country. The biometric data will be used if travellers return within three years. An exact start date for the EES is not yet confirmed. Schengen Area Entry Rules Australians can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, attending cultural or sports events, transit, official visits, medical treatment, short-term studies, or research. To enter, your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your intended departure date from the Schengen Area. Aussies should be sure to get their passport stamped upon arrival in their first Schengen country. An unclear or missing stamp could result in fines or detention. In some countries, you may also need to register your stay within three days of arrival. For detailed entry and exit requirements for each Schengen country, check the Smart Traveller website Information on temporary border controls is available on the European Commission website. Note that non-Schengen countries have separate entry rules. You can find up-to-date information by contacting the relevant embassy, high commission, or consulate. When to get a Visa Anyone planning a stay longer than 90 days in the Schengen Zone will need a visa. Travellers will need to apply from outside the country, through the embassy, high commission, or consulate of the country where they'll spend the most time, or the first country they will enter from if the stay length is the same. Visa rules apply to Australian passport holders. Dual nationals should check entry requirements for their other nationality. Find foreign embassies and consulates in Australia on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) website. Changes coming in 2026 Starting in 2026, all visitors to Europe, including Australians, will need to apply for authorisation through the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) before entering. The ETIAS will cost the equivalent of $12 and will be valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Before entry is granted, travellers will undergo a security screening when visiting any participating European country.
Telegraph
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Munich attack is a parable for everything that's wrong with European migration policy
The tragic scenes in Munich today are all too familiar. The lead suspect is, yet again, an asylum seeker – this time with a police history of drug crime and petty theft. Where once a shocking event like this provoked wall to wall coverage, now many shrug their shoulders, so desensitised are we to this extreme violence that comes with life in Europe. In Bavaria this terror attack comes following an attack last month by another Afghan asylum seeker who killed a small boy at nursery. It wasn't always this way, and it doesn't have to be this way if Western leaders wake up. A generation of German politicians have operated an open-doors immigration policy, which, coupled with the EU's Schengen Zone, has been nothing short of disastrous. If the German leadership took border security seriously, this man would not have been in the country. In most respects, the Munich attack is a parable for everything that is wrong with European migration policy. The suspect arrived illegally and managed to avoid deportation for almost a decade despite a history of crime and alleged extremism. He lived with the impunity we've come to expect. But at least in the frankness of the authorities in levelling with the public after his most heinous act, they acknowledged how bankrupt their system has become. Today was a rare instance where the German authorities did something the British Government should learn from. Within just a few hours of the attack the Bavarian state leader made public the nationality and police history of the suspect. The German press were briefed that his application for asylum has been rejected and that he had posted Islamist content on a social media site before carrying out the crime. An hour later the German Chancellor told the public the attacker must be punished and deported. If you commit crimes, you should be sent home, even if that is a place which is 'very difficult to live in', as Olaf Scholz put it. Nobody should be made to live next to these dangerous people. For some reason, Germany remains the only country in Europe deporting migrants back to Afghanistan. For reasons I cannot understand, our courts continue to prevent removals. The leadership on display in Munich is as night and day to the scenes in the aftermath of Southport, where a news blackout from the British Government – caught in an excess of legalistic caution – allowed a void for conspiracy theory and fuelled deep suspicion. German political leaders appear to have learnt their lessons and taken a different approach to past attacks, bringing basic facts into the public domain quickly, no matter how uncomfortable they were. In contrast our Prime Minister went to great lengths to deny a terror-related motive, and then refused to correct the public record even after being informed privately. Where German political leaders expressed sympathy for the public anger, we were treated to the sight of our Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, smearing Brits who asked whether the attacker was known to the security services – who could smell something was up – as 'conspiracy theorists'. The German Interior Minister wasted no time getting to the nub of the issue, stressing the importance of deporting violent criminals. Yet in the aftermath of Southport our political class largely dodged important questions about the risk of violence from migrants emigrating from conflict areas, and distracted ourselves with absurd debates about changing the shape of knives. Don't worry, banning pointed knives – turning every kitchen into a Fisher Price toy-set – will solve the problem, we were told. It felt as through the Labour Government did not trust the British public with information on migration that challenged the prevailing elite orthodoxy. The public are sick of being infantilised, fobbed off or lied to about the reality of immigration. Nor is this approach likely to work in an age when most of us consume our news online, not in the controlled media of old. This is a timely reminder for the British Government. With trust in the authorities on crime and immigration ebbing away, we need an altogether more transparent approach. Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism laws, has come forward with sensible proposals to ensure information is provided in a way that does not collapse a trial, but prizes openness and transparency with the public. They have not been implemented. But to bridge the gulf in trust we need more than just that. If the Government is to be given the benefit of the doubt by a deeply sceptical public it needs to take a far more open approach to the facts on Islamist extremism, migration and crime by nationality. Some data they could publish instantly if they ended the obstructionism, other statistics they need to begin to collect. Until then deep discontent will continue to bubble below the surface – above it on occasion – and more importantly, our immigration system will continue to fail the public.
