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Brussels/Madrid – The European Commission, United Kingdom, Gibraltar, and Spain failed to reach an agreement to define Gibraltar’s relations with the EU after Brexit in the meeting held yesterday in Brussels, but they did achieve “significant progress”.
The vice president of the European Commission in charge of relations with the United Kingdom, Maros Sefcovic; the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; his British counterpart, David Cameron, and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabián Picardo, held a six-hour meeting yesterday which, they reported in a joint statement, led to “significant advances and additional areas of agreement”.
The meeting, the second in this format after the one held on April 12, took place in a “constructive atmosphere” and all parties noted that “the agreement is getting closer,” they pointed out.
The attendees committed to “work closely and quickly on outstanding issues to achieve a comprehensive agreement” and agreed to “remain in permanent and close contact,” although they did not set a date for a next meeting.
The parties reiterated their commitment to finalize an agreement that “brings confidence, legal certainty, and stability to the lives and livelihoods of all the inhabitants of the region, protecting and improving the economy and trade, mobility, the environment, and social welfare, while preserving the legal positions,” referring to the stance on sovereignty of both the United Kingdom and Spain.
After the meeting, Sefcovic avoided mentioning to the press the aspects that are hindering the agreement, but highlighted the efforts to continue making progress and “seeking technical solutions” in areas such as trade, the environment, mobility, and the economy.
The Slovak Social Democrat expressed his hope to reach an agreement “as soon as possible” because the commitment of the parties shows that there is “political will” to establish a common framework for Gibraltar, but he did not say whether the agreement will be reached before the European elections, scheduled between June 6 and 9.
After the meeting, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs valued having achieved “significant progress”, although he avoided giving more details “to protect what has already been agreed and to continue making progress on those aspects that still need further technical development”.
A day later, Albares assured in an interview that there are no “insurmountable obstacles” that the parties are “directly clashing” on, but he admitted that there is still work to be done regarding the Schengen controls as well as on the harmonization of indirect taxes.
Brussels and London have been negotiating for more than two years the agreement that will regulate the relationship between the EU and Gibraltar after Brexit. This negotiation is based on the so-called ‘New Year’s Eve Agreement’, which was closed by Spain and the United Kingdom in 2020 and which foresees the elimination of the border fence and the de facto entry of the Rock into the Schengen area.
According to information provided so far, the plan is for the European Border Agency (Frontex) to carry out border controls at the port and airport of Gibraltar, since the United Kingdom does not accept the deployment of members of the Spanish security forces in the colony because it considers it an affront to its sovereignty.
The various taxes that are applied on either side of the border fence, and which make Gibraltar a sort of tax haven, have also been one of the main points of friction. (May 16 and 17)