Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, is set to travel to London later this month. The goal: a final attempt to reach an agreement with his British counterpart, David Lammy, regarding Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU. This ongoing negotiation has been in process for three years. However, now time is running out, with significant deadlines looming in November.
Two major factors make this meeting critical:
- A new European Commission will take office in November, replacing the current negotiation team.
- The new Schengen Entry/Exit System will also come into force.
This will subject Gibraltar to the same border controls as any third country for the first time since Brexit. Furthermore, it will end the temporary arrangements that have been in place for the past 43 months.
If Albares and Lammy can align their positions, a final trilateral meeting with the European Commission is planned. However, with previous meetings in April and May failing to produce an agreement, there is little room for further delays or failures.
Disagreements on border controls
One of the most contentious issues revolves around Spain’s demand for armed Spanish officers to carry out border checks in Gibraltar. The UK government has accepted the need for Spanish police to oversee some travel document checks. However, they have insisted this be limited to a neutral zone within the airport. Spain, however, is pushing for more freedom for their officers to move around the airport and port to inspect passengers arriving by ferry or cruise ship.
Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, has strongly opposed this, “There will be no Spanish boots on the ground”, he said. The symbolic nature of this disagreement over uniforms and weapons has overshadowed more practical concerns.
Progress on other key issues
Despite the impasse on border checks, the talks have seen progress on other fronts. Both sides have agreed on a shared arrangement for Gibraltar’s airport. This is a particularly sensitive issue as it is located on an area Spain claims as illegally occupied. Additionally, a compromise has been reached on customs duties. Gibraltar agrees to implement a tax on goods to prevent a flood of untaxed imports into the neighbouring Campo de Gibraltar.
Further agreements include a plan to equalise pension payments for Spanish workers who previously worked in Gibraltar and the creation of a joint fund to address this disparity.
With these significant hurdles overcome, the question remains whether the entire deal could collapse over the issue of armed Spanish police in Gibraltar. Time is running out, and both Spain and the UK will need to make compromises to ensure the border between Spain and Gibraltar remains open under a new framework.