EU and UK negotiators announced that a new post-Brexit agreement for Gibraltar was nearing completion after talks in Brussels on Friday (12 April).
Following a meeting with UK foreign secretary David Cameron, Gibraltar chief minister Fabian Picardo, and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares revealed that agreements had been reached on the status of Gibraltar’s airport, goods, and mobility. However, the details will not be disclosed until the talks are finalized.
Join EUobserver today
Get the EU news that really matters
Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives.
14-day free trial.
… or subscribe as a group
Albares stated, “We have a few weeks of work left.”
Picardo expressed optimism about the future, saying, “there is a forward-looking and positive opportunity to create a new dynamic and new relationship for a very positive future.”
In a joint statement, the UK and Spain confirmed that “significant progress” had been made and that negotiations will continue in the following weeks to finalize the UK-EU Agreement.
Gibraltar faced challenges after the UK’s decision to leave the EU in 2016 and end freedom of movement with the EU. The territory, located at the southern tip of Spain, has been operating on ad hoc arrangements for trade and border-crossings since Brexit with no set deadline to reach a new treaty agreement.
The Cross Frontier Group, representing unions and business organizations from Spain and Gibraltar, called for an end to the uncertainty caused by the ongoing negotiations and stressed the need to dismantle the border crossing for citizens and goods.
The post-Brexit status of Gibraltar is further complicated by the sovereignty dispute between London and Madrid. While Spain maintains its claim to the territory, Gibraltarians have rejected shared or Spanish sovereignty in referendums in 1967 and 2002.
Last week, EU Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas sparked controversy by joking that “Gibraltar is Spanish” to a UK official, leading to criticism from Spain’s Albares who described the remarks as “very unfortunate and incomprehensible.”
