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divdiv class=story-body readability=37 span class=story-date#13; span class=date15 November 2013/span#13; span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time12:03 ET/span#13; #13; /span#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; p class=introduction id=story_continues_1Checks by Spain at its border with Gibraltar did not break EU laws, the European Commission has ruled./p#13; pMadrid imposed strict controls at the border with the British territory amid a row over the creation by Gibraltar of an artificial reef in disputed waters./p#13; pThe commission's ruling followed a UK complaint and it has also written to the UK and Spain with recommendations to avoid future delays at the border./p#13; pBut the UK still says the politically motivated checks were unlawful./p#13; span class=cross-headIllegal cigarettes/span#13; pThe commission, which assessed the legality of the checks on 25 September, advised the UK and Spain to work better together to help fight tobacco smuggling and cross-border crime. /p#13; div class=story-feature narrow#13; a class=hidden href=#story_continues_2Continue reading the main story/a h2 class=quote“spanStart Quote/span/h2#13; blockquote readability=1p class=first-childWe welcome the fact that the commission has put Spain on notice”/p/blockquote#13; span class=endquoteEnd Quote/span#13; span class=quote-creditUK Foreign Office/span#13; #13; #13; /div p id=story_continues_2The BBC reported in August that cigarettes were about 40% cheaper in Gibraltar than they were in Spain, fuelling an illegal trade. At the time Spain said the border checks were intended to combat this smuggling./p#13; pThe Spanish government says it seized 139 million illegal cigarettes smuggled in from Gibraltar last year - double the figure for 2009./p#13; pThe report gives both sides six months to respond to the recommendations, and Brussels reserves the right to revise its view on the legality of Spanish action and pay another visit to the Spain-Gibraltar crossing point if necessary./p#13; !-- Embedding the video player --#13; !-- This is the embedded player component --#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- wwrights check --#13; !-- Empty country is used on test environment --#13; #13; #13; #13; div class=videoInStoryB readability=1#13; div id=emp-23739046-56273 class=emp#13; #13; #13; noscript#13; div class=warning readability=1#13; img class=holding src=http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69338000/jpg/_69338986_69336888.jpg alt=Tom Burridge on the Gibraltar border/pstrongPlease turn on JavaScript./strong Media requires JavaScript to play./p#13; /div#13; /noscript#13; #13; !-- embedding script --#13; #13; /div#13; !-- companion banner -- #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- END - companion banner --!-- caption --p class=captionThe BBC's Tom Burridge in the border queues in August/p#13; !-- END - caption --#13; #13; #13; #13; /div#13; !-- end of the embedded player component --#13; #13; !-- Player embedded -- pThe commission said that the crossing point was challenging, in view of the heavy traffic volumes in a relatively confined space and the increase in tobacco smuggling into Spain./p#13; pIn its letter to Spain, the commission recommends it makes better use of existing traffic lanes or adds new lanes on the Spanish side of the border and uses more targeted checks to reduce the large amount of random border controls./p#13; pIn its letter to the UK, the commission recommends the development of risk-based profiling of travellers and improved laws and safeguards against tobacco smuggling./p#13; pBoth countries were asked to develop an exchange of information with each other about tobacco smuggling./p#13; span class=cross-headSpain 'satisfied'/span#13; pA Foreign Office spokesman said: We welcome the fact that the commission has put Spain on notice. We continue to believe that Spain has acted unlawfully./p#13; pHe added that despite the commission not finding evidence that EU law was infringed it is not the same as concluding that Spain had not acted unlawfully./p#13; pAnd he said the UK did not rule out taking direct legal action against the Spanish government at the European Court of Justice over the border delays./p#13; pThe Gibraltar government said it also still considered the checks to be unlawful, but said the recommendations made by the commission represented progress./p#13; pChief minister Fabian Picardo said Gibraltar had called on the commission to recommend practical measures to ease frontier flow. That is what they have done and we welcome the fact that they have called for Spain to stop the random checks that they have been implementing. /p#13; pSir Graham Watson, a Lib Dem MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar, said he was deeply disappointed the commission considered no laws were breached./p#13; pBut Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Madrid was satisfied because Brussels has signalled that we did not break any community rules by establishing those controls at the Gibraltar border./p#13; pThe row broke out in July when Spanish authorities increased checks at the Gibraltar border./p#13; pGibraltar, though, said the strict checks came after it dropped 74 concrete blocks into the sea next to its territory, intended to create an artificial reef and encourage sea life to flourish./p#13; pSpain said the blocks would disrupt waters used by its fishing boats, but denied that the development had prompted its increased border checks./p#13; #13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center