Lord David Cameron, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, will be attending negotiations in Brussels with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo regarding Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU. The negotiation is likely to focus on border management. Despite this, the meeting is not anticipated to arrive at a final conclusion.
Mr Picardo stated that he was “optimistic” that Friday’s discussions would “move us firmly into the territory for delivery of this treaty.” He also mentioned that he aims to advance the matters “insofar as we can do so safely and securely and without compromising any aspect of our sacrosanct sovereignty, jurisdiction, and control.”
Gibraltar, a British overseas territory that shares a border with Spain, was impacted by the UK’s decision to leave the EU in 2016, which eliminated freedom of movement between the two. Thousands of people travel daily across the border for work, shopping, or visiting family, making the situation complicated. The territory has been operating under ad hoc arrangements since it was not included in the permanent UK-EU Brexit deal.
There have been currently 17 rounds of talks aimed at reaching a lasting settlement since October 2021. Last month, veteran Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash said he was “disturbed to hear” that the UK had agreed, in principle, to EU border checks taking place in Gibraltar and “joint UK-Spanish management of Gibraltar’s airport,” which is used by both commercial airlines and the RAF. Foreign Office Minister David Rutley stated that the UK government would not agree to anything that “compromises sovereignty.” He went on to say that the UK was “prepared to explore practical and technical solutions” for the airport’s future, but they would “only accept agreements that are acceptable to the Government of Gibraltar.
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