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Post-Brexit Gibraltar deal could be signed this week, says foreign minister
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Spain is “very close” to reaching an agreement on future trade and free movement with the Rock
Spain and the UK are “close” to signing a deal on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confided ahead of a meeting on Tuesday November 28 with his new British counterpart David Cameron.
Before travelling to Brussels for the face-to-face negotiations, Mr Albares said he spoke with the former PM over the phone "to discuss the Gibraltar agreement" and they both agreed they must “move forward as soon as possible” after several months of stalemate.
The deal concerning the Rock will focus primarily on trade, immigration and the contentious issue of the free movement of workers and visitors between Gibraltar and mainland Spain. According to local sources, Spain has already suggested designating a “zone of shared prosperity” in the Campo de Gibraltar that would eliminate the need of the border fence.
However, given that Gibraltar is not officially part of the Schengen area, border controls would still be necessary at both the airport and the port of the Rock. To achieve this, what has been proposed is a deployment of Frontex troops, the EU’s border agency, for an initial period of four years.
“We are getting close and closer. All that remains are specific aspects. Most of the agreement is already agreed,” the Spanish minister said after his meeting with Mr Cameron.
“I think this deal – this ‘zone of shared prosperity’ in the Campo de Gibraltar – is better for everyone than the application of European legislation after British citizens democratically decided to leave the European Union,” he added.
“There’s already been political will on the part of the Spanish government for many months. There’s nothing new for me to add. What’s needed now is that political will on the part of the United Kingdom to move forward decisively, which is what I’ve seen so far. But we won’t know until the end. Nothing will be agreed until it’s all agreed.”
The Rock has been under British rule since the 18th century but the UK’s decision to leave the EU in 2016 threw up all kinds of questions about how Gibraltar’s border with Spain should be policed. Since the issues of free movement and trade weren’t included in the exit agreement, these topics have remained contentious ever since.
Image: Nathan Harig via Wikimedia Commons
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