2023-12-04 14:47:59
WORLD – Negotiations between Spain and the United Kingdom on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar are raising hopes of an agreement. Discussions focus on key aspects such as trade, immigration, and movement of workers. However, differences persist, fueling skepticism in London.
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, announced Spain’s willingness to sign an agreement on the status of Gibraltar after Brexit. The November 28 meeting in Brussels with David Cameron was intended to discuss the details of this agreement.
José Manuel Albares said he had met with David Cameron to discuss the status of the territory at the southern tip of Spain, which has been under British rule since the 18th century. During an interview on the Spanish television channel Telecinco on Tuesday November 28, José Manuel Albares declared: “Many months ago we presented a generous and balanced agreement.” After his meeting with David Cameron, he noted that negotiations between the UK and Spain had been stagnating for some time, but that an opportunity to restart had arisen.
Lifting of the border barrier to facilitate movement between the territory and the EU
“We are constantly moving forward, leaving only specific aspects unresolved. The bulk of the deal is already done.” What was proposed was a “comprehensive agreement covering aspects of daily life in Gibraltar and Campo de Gibraltar, aimed at strengthening this area of shared prosperity.”
The stakes are high as the deal will cover trade, immigration and the movement of workers to and from Spain. According to the Spanish news agency Efe, it will include plans to transform the Campo de Gibraltar (the Spanish area around Gibraltar) into a “shared prosperity zone” that would remove the border barrier to allow the movement of people and goods. goods between the territory and the EU.
According to the Spanish Foreign Ministry, the agreement would allow Spain to use the Schengen agreement to control Gibraltar’s external borders. It would also allow Spain to protect and improve the rights of cross-border workers and facilitate the free movement of goods “without increasing risks for the EU internal market”.
Workers’ rights and protection of Spanish citizens’ interests
The agreement would include measures to combat money laundering and ensure environmental protection and nuclear safety standards. The main objective, said José Manuel Albares, is “the defense and protection of interests and rights” Spanish citizens, in particular the 270,000 people who live in Campo de Gibraltar.
The status of Gibraltar – and how to police the border with Spain – has been a point of contention since Britain’s vote to leave the EU in 2016. Trade and free movement were not part of the The exit agreement concluded between the United Kingdom and the EU.
As part of the Brexit negotiations, Spain, Britain and the EU agreed that Gibraltar would remain part of the Schengen Agreement, and that Spain would police the port and the port. airport, awaiting a lasting solution.
Skepticism in London, caution in Brussels
Albares announced that the aim was to establish a new post-Brexit legal framework in order to “lay the foundations for a stable relationship between Spain and the EU, on the one hand, and the territory of Gibraltar, through the United Kingdom, on the other hand”.
In London, a certain skepticism prevails, although Albares told journalists in Brussels that the agreement for the “zone of future prosperity” in the Campo de Gibraltar was preferable to the application of European legislation following the decision of British citizens to leave the European Union.
Although Spain aspires to conclude the agreement quickly, Albares has expressed his intention to discuss with Cameron possible deadlines to finalize the process. Brussels-based sources took a cautious approach, saying that a “[un] long way to go”, especially before a meeting between the European Union and the United Kingdom which is to be held in the coming weeks.
The minister stressed that Spain’s position on the sovereignty of Gibraltar remained unchanged. “Neither the future agreement, nor any option or measure taken pursuant to or as a result thereof, implies or will imply a renunciation or modification of the legal position of Spain with regard to the sovereignty and jurisdiction in relation to Gibraltar”he indicated.
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