Spain and the United Kingdom This Thursday they held a meeting high level looking for define traffic rules in the British enclave of Gibraltar, and although they did not reach a final understanding they pointed out that an agreement is “closer”.
The foreign ministers Jose Manuel Albares and David Cameron They met with the vice president of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic at the headquarters of that institution, in Brussels.
“I have held a constructive and positive meeting (…) in which we have achieved important progress and have continued to build and advance on the political lines already agreed”said Albares at the end of the meeting, which lasted almost six hours.
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, He also participated in the talks, as part of the British delegation.
In a joint statement, The delegations noted that “all parties reaffirm that the agreement is closer and that they will work together and quickly on the most relevant aspects.”
Albares reinforced that the parties have not yet imposed a deadline for seal the agreement.
“In any case, there is no point, by any of the parties, that we have wanted to address and that the other party has rejected,” said the Spanish diplomat.
Spain and the United Kingdom advance an agreement on free movement in Gibraltar
At the end of 2020, Spain and United Kingdom they agreed on a framework agreement whose main consequence is to maintain the free movement of goods and people across the border between Spain and the enclave, despite the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.
But talks on signing a definitive agreement have not yet concluded.
In 2022, the Spanish Government and the European Commission proposed to the United Kingdom the creation of one “zone of shared prosperity” with Gibraltar, where thousands of Spaniards work every day.
The creation of such a zone would require that Spain assumes control of Gibraltar’s external borders and the suppression of the land border between the enclave and Spain to guarantee the “full fluidity” of the circulation of people and goods.
Albares and Cameron had met in the presence of Sefcovic in Brussels on April 12, in talks in which the two parties welcomed “significant progress.”
Source: Ambito
