Spain and the UK have managed to agree this Friday in Brussels on a “common political line” on Gibraltar and, although neither side has yet dared to set a date for a final political agreement on the status of the Rock in the EU, that has remained pending since then. Since the completion of Brexit four years ago, the “significant progress” achieved at a meeting held at the European Commission headquarters opened the door to new progress “in the coming weeks”, as stated by both sides in a joint statement. Among the political lines that have been agreed upon today are…

Spain and the UK have managed to agree this Friday in Brussels on a “common political line” on Gibraltar and, although neither side has yet dared to set a date for a final political agreement on the status of the Rock in the EU, that has remained pending since then. Since the consummation of Brexit four years ago, the “significant progress” made at the meeting held at the European Commission headquarters opened the door to new progress “in the coming weeks”, as stated by both sides in a joint statement. Among the political lines agreed on today are sensitive issues such as airports, goods and mobility.

“Today is not just a day of negotiations, it is a very important day, where important progress has been achieved and where we all agreed, once again, to continue working in the coming weeks to reach a conclusion,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, at the end of the meeting with his British counterpart, David Cameron; Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, who is responsible for relations with the UK, particularly welcomed the “constructive atmosphere” that dominated the meeting.

The meeting, the first in this format and attended by all the main actors, “has reaffirmed our shared commitment to achieving an EU-UK deal that guarantees a prosperous future for the entire region,” the statement said. The agreement will provide “trust, legal security and stability to the lives and quality of life of people throughout the region, without prejudice to the legal position of each party,” added the official text of the agreement, which does not contain details about the agreement. a general political line has been agreed and on the date and place of the next meeting.

In 2020, it was agreed with the absence of several issues still under negotiation that Gibraltar would join Schengen, the European free movement area consisting of 26 countries (22 community countries, plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein), so that its borders would not be again in La Verja to be stationed at its port and airport. This way, those entering from Spanish territory into Gibraltar would not need a passport, but British people wishing to travel to the colony would, as the UK is not part of Schengen.

Albares and Picardo, the only ones among those gathered and speaking to the media after a closed-door meeting that lasted more than three hours, justified this lack of clarity with the need to “protect the negotiations and ensure that they reach an agreement.” in conclusion.” good port”, as pointed out by the head of Spanish diplomacy.

Of course, Albares assured, Madrid and Brussels will maintain the same line in the pending negotiations. “The Commission and Spain are very aligned and, as we have done, we also agreed that in the coming weeks all the texts that we convey, that we exchange, will always be joint texts,” stressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs. .

The meeting in Brussels has generated huge expectations, both because of its unprecedented level of engagement and because of the urgent timing to reach an agreement before the European elections in June. This election could hamper negotiations because, in all likelihood, they cannot resume until the next Community Board is formed. However, it is not yet clear whether this schedule will be met. Although Albares has assured that “for Spain this will not happen as soon as possible”, Picardo has admitted that the “week” mentioned by the parties could still be extended by several months. “The most important thing is to move forward and reach an agreement that has so far remained elusive,” stressed Prime Minister Rock.

From Dublin, the final stage of his European tour to seek international consensus on the recognition of the State of Palestine, the President of the Government commented this Friday afternoon that he had received “very positive signals” from the meeting in Brussels. “Negotiations will continue over the coming weeks, and we hope that we can reach a successful agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom,” stressed Pedro Sánchez, who nevertheless noted that “some important aspects remain to be resolved” after general political issues. Outlines have been drawn regarding issues “of particular importance to the Spanish Government, such as airports, goods and mobility.”

The tripartite meeting in Brussels had been the culmination of several weeks of intense contacts during which, as Albares had anticipated upon his arrival, they “began to approach the issues that were still pending.” Although the head of Spanish diplomacy maintains the mantra that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” on the eve of the trip, in his statement to Onda Cero he had already said that he was confident that he was “getting closer to everything being agreed.” . The aim is, as Albares confirmed this Friday, “to achieve as much progress as possible in the field of shared prosperity for the entire Gibraltar countryside.”

Before his meeting with Cameron, Albares held a “preparatory” meeting alone with Sefcovic, while Cameron held another meeting, also behind closed doors, with Picardo. The head of British diplomacy, who during his tenure as prime minister called for a referendum on Britain leaving the EU, quit the EU immediately after the meeting and thus did not make the news. The British government has always avoided talking about a possible final deal this Friday, although it defined the meeting as an opportunity to discuss final pending issues face-to-face at the highest level with the aim of reaching some kind of platform. . to advance negotiations, a goal now considered to have been achieved by all parties.

Diplomatic sources have indicated to this newspaper that the negotiations are now in the final stages, with the exchange of texts regarding the drafting of the treaty to be extensive and detailed, as it affects various areas of relations between the British colonies. . and the EU. The role that agents of the European agency Frontex and members of the Spanish security forces have in controlling passengers arriving in Gibraltar from third countries and their joint use of the airport, which is built on an isthmus whose ownership they claim in Madrid and London has been the most complicated aspect of these negotiations , because it concerns sovereignty issues which both parties agreed not to discuss.

Future agreements are also expected to cover workers’ rights, taxation, safety or environmental issues. Therefore, negotiations also revolved around bringing Gibraltarians’ pensions into line with the pensions of cross-border workers in Rock, which are on average about 400 pounds (about 465 euros) higher than those of cross-border workers in the country. Plus fiscal and tax harmonization, which will affect products such as tobacco, and efforts to equalize Gibraltar with the tax burden in other European regions which does not necessarily have to be the same as the tax burden in Spain.

Both countries highlighted the current good harmony of relations, a fact that made possible the resumption of negotiations around Gibraltar at the end of last year, as well as in Brussels, with the first face-to-face meeting between Albares and Cameron on the sidelines. The NATO foreign ministers’ summit has now taken another important, albeit uncertain, step.