Spain, the United Kingdom and the European Commission hope to reach a final agreement “very soon” on the future status of Gibraltar, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez told Onta Cero radio yesterday. This Friday – fair enough.
Alvarez plans to hold a meeting in Brussels on Friday with his British counterpart, David Cameron, and the European Commission's vice-president for intra-institutional relations, Maroz Cefkovic, to define Gibraltar's position after Brexit. The British Overseas Territory is located in the extreme south of Spain and has been subject to Spanish sovereignty for centuries.
Alvarez remained optimistic that an agreement could be reached in a few hours. “I believe that we are already very close to an agreement and, of course, what all parties can see is that there is a very positive dynamic and we are very close to agreeing everything,” the minister said.
However, he also warned that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”. “We need to look at what relationship we will have with Gibraltar, for example where immigration control will be placed,” he added.
An imminent deal with the United Kingdom, according to Albarez, involves the possible removal of a fence separating Gibraltar from the Spanish municipality of La Linea de la Concepcion in Cadiz, Andalusia. The minister said the aim was to ensure “freedom of movement”. “There are 270,000 Spaniards living in Campo de Gibraltar and we want to make their lives easier,” he added.
For the Spanish authorities, Gibraltar was a British colony in Spanish territory that should return to Spain. According to the UN, Gibraltar is a “non-self-governing territory awaiting decolonization”, which must happen through bilateral negotiations between Spain and the United Kingdom, a UN mandate since 1965. Keep recommending.
Negotiations between the three parties involved have lasted for two years and so far 19 rounds of contacts have been held. “Maybe tomorrow (Friday) will not be the last day (…) it will be almost,” Albarez believes.
The progress in the talks represents an important step towards resolving one of Europe's oldest territorial disputes.
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