THE WEATHER
www.thecourier.es
Edition 315
B
Friday 31st March 2017
CITIZENS FIRST
ritish Prime Minister Theresa May fired the starting gun to the UK leaving the European Union on Wednesday by invoking Article 50, meaning there is two years to go before Britain quits the EU. Negotiations are expected to start within the next two months, and the British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, has been quick to offer assurance to expats in the country. “One of our top priorities for the negotiations is our citizens, and there will be no immediate changes to expat rights here in Spain in the interim” said Manley. “From the meetings that our teams across Spain have had in recent months, we know that many British residents in Spain have
questions about the future, ranging from residency rights to healthcare and pensions.” “One of our top priorities for the negotiations is our citizens. As the Prime Minister said in her letter to European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday, we should always put our citizens first, and we want an early agreement about their rights. We are ready to reach such an agreement right now if other countries agree. We want to give citizens as much certainty as possible, as early as possible.” “In the interim, there will be no immediate changes to expat rights here in Spain. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the
BY ALEX TRELINSKI European Union and all the rights British Nationals enjoy in Spain remain in force”, added Manley. The British Embassy in Madrid was keen to emphasise that all work rights, healthcare access; and the access of British children to Spanish schools remains unchanged. Manley commented: “We encourage all British
citizens residing in Spain to register on their local padron, so that you can fully exercise your rights to access local services in Spain and so that we have the most complete possible picture of all the British citizens are living here. If you encounter any problems exercising your rights, get in touch with your the British consulate in Alicante”.
BLACKSPOT HOPE
N
otorious blackspots on the N-332 highway in the Santa Pola area are set to be eliminated, if Spain's infrastructure minister, Julio Gómez-Pomar, gets official approval for his plans this
Friday (March 31st) from the Council of Ministers, the country's equivalent of the UK government cabinet. Partido Popular national deputy, Loreto Cascales (pictured), who comes from Santa Pola, says she got the pledge following a meeting she had with Gómez.-Pomar. Cascales says that draft bills, set to be passed as part of the General State Budget, will include a new roundabout link and lower speed lanes at Gran Alacant, as well as an extra lane to be built between the junctions for Playa Lisa and
Santa Pola town centre. Cascales added that the measures would then have to get parliamentary approval in Congress as part of the State Budget, where the Partido Popular are governing in a minority.
In January, the infrastructure ministry promised to improve warning signposts on the N-332 close to the accident spot by the empty Rocas de Blancas hotel, though no date was given for the work to be done.
See page 2 for the week´s forecast