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LONDON – Britain is close to agreeing a new treaty on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union after successful talks in Madrid with the Spanish government.
Negotiations to redefine Gibraltar’s relationship with the EU following Britain’s exit from the bloc are taking place on two tracks – one between Spain and the UK, which is responsible for Gibraltar’s foreign policy, and more recently between the European Commission and the British government.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Alberes said on Wednesday evening that the Spanish and British governments had agreed to “progress as quickly as possible” to resolve their differences over visa-free travel between British-owned Gibraltar and people from the Schengen area.
This will minimize the consequences of a hard Brexit for those living on the Rock and those who travel daily from the Spanish side of the border for work.
“Spain is ready to conclude a deal,” Alberes said during a joint press conference with his British counterpart James Cleverley, following a hastily arranged meeting between the two men in Madrid. Gibraltar’s Prime Minister Fabian Picardo attended via teleconference.
Wednesday’s debate centered on a detailed proposal unveiled by the commission last month – and backed by Spain – to remove the fence on the land border with Gibraltar and relocate customs checks at Gibraltar’s airport and port. The fence has been the source of many historical controversies.
“We are close [to a deal] Now than at the beginning of the meeting,” Alberes said, adding that the talks were “moving at a good pace.”
Shortly before the press conference, a beaming Albarez was recorded on camera shaking hands deftly at Madrid’s Vienna Palace, telling him: “We got it, we got it done.”
Cleverly told a press conference that “a lot” of progress had been made in the Gibraltar talks but some areas of disagreement remained. He said he was confident it would be “possible” to reach a treaty respecting the UK and Spain’s respective positions on Gibraltar’s sovereignty. “We are fully invested in agreeing a deal as soon as possible,” he said.
Their meeting comes as EU and UK officials meet in Brussels to make progress on a draft legal text to formalize post-Brexit relations with Gibraltar.
Negotiations have been officially underway since 2020, but have been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and two changes of UK prime minister.
Officials involved in the talks said there was now a strong appetite for a resolution in Spain’s leftist coalition government, as the country prepares to hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2023, and also faces general elections. Regional ballots in the new year.
Polls in Spain predict a coalition between the conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox – which has called for the border with Gibraltar to be closed – could win an absolute majority, potentially triggering a catastrophic shift in the Gibraltar talks if they don’t happen. Conclusion by that point.
But officials warn that the Spain-UK bilateral deal could slip as early as next year on the stickiest issues yet. Picardo told a separate press conference in Gibraltar that the Spanish election calendar “could of course have an impact” on the talks, but that he was optimistic the treaty would be finalized before the general election.
Calling for patience, Picardo added: “We cannot pretend that 300 years of disagreement can disappear in an instant.”
Cleverly travels to Brussels on Thursday to meet with Commission Vice-President and Brexit point man Maroš Šefčovič to discuss UK-EU matters face-to-face.
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