With Spanish officials yesterday being told by the EU Commission that charging individuals to pass through the Gibraltar – Spain frontier would be illegal, the Foreign Ministry has today claimed that the Government’s proposal for a toll tax on users of a particular transport network in areas of high demand and traffic congestion is completely within European standards.

Europa Sur has today stated that the toll would cover areas of congestion, within La Linea, including the frontier queue. The Government compared the proposal to London’s congestion tax that was introduced in 2003. This tax sees individuals charged £10 a day to operate within the Congestion Charge Zone.

Following a conversation between Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and EU Commission president Jose Mauel Barroso, Sr. Rajoy has agreed with the Commission’s plan to send over a selection of specialists to observe the frontier queues.

The News outlet notes that the Spanish Foreign Ministry claims to consistently present proposals tailored to community legislation, whilst keeping in mind rules relating to the free movement of people, goods and services.