An end of year round up from us as we face a somewhat uncertain future with the imminent departure from the EU round the corner.

Apart from border fluidity and economic concerns we also have setbacks for the environment as we will no longer have EU institutions to fall back on regarding regional and cross border environmental impacts.

The ESG, together with NGOs from Gibraltar and Spain, have over the years filed a number of Complaints to the European Commission on breaches of environmental regulations and standards, principally down to the rapid growth and expansion of the petrochemical complex and Oil Refinery in the Campo area and excesses of harmful air pollution .

We understand our Government has tabled several concerns on the environmental front with its UK counterparts and we have submitted information on issues that, from our perspective, will stand to worsen without European oversight on matters of cross border pollution.

The ESG will monitor the situation and is also in close contact with our colleagues across the border. By the time we do our next radio newsletter we may certainly know the type of Brexit, and depth of changes we will experience after the 31^st December.

As we have stressed in lengthy articles and interviews published recently, in local media, October’s OTWO, and INSIGHT magazine in December, we realise that Covid, on top of Brexit, is clearly and understandably occupying the minds of our leaders and so have had to accept that deliverance of some large projects will have taken a back seat.

Nonetheless we shall resume our lobbying at the start of 2021 to ensure that Gibraltar continues to focus on climate targets, significant traffic changes, intensifies its roll-out of renewable energy programme, improves impacts from shipping and produces a draft development plan for public feedback to enable the community to both influence and understand the trajectory for development in Gibraltar from an ‘official’ standpoint. Clearly adequate infrastructure, energy, waste management and sewage treatment must accompany our ever-growing built environment– we should not continue to build without such support and foundation that makes us more sustainable.

You can find more info on these matters and press releases on our website www.esg-gib.net including the welcoming of the new Post Office Electric Fleet.

A reminder that the final 2020 DPC mtg takes place on the 17^th December at 9.30am. These meetings are public and live streamed and you can find the link at DPC Gibraltar, Agendas, with the 17^th December meeting already carrying the link.
Have yourselves a safe, green and peaceful Christmas.

Best wishes from all at the ESG.