The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, once again transferred the pressure to the United Kingdom and asked it to “say yes” to the agreement on Gibraltar proposed by the Spain and the European Commission, warning that If you do not do so before November 10, the new controls at the Gate will come into force.
“We have been negotiating this deal for many years, it is time for the UK to say yes to a balanced and generous deal that we put on the table a long time ago,” he said after meeting advise him. to the president of the Junta of Andalusia, Antonio Sanz, and to the mayors of Campo de Gibraltar.
Albares recalled that from November 10, the new Schengen area control system would come into force, unless an agreement is reached by then, and stressed that it would mainly affect Gibraltarians who cross the barrier. In this sense, he stressed that the proposed proposal provides for “the inclusion of Gibraltar in the Schengen area and the free movement of people and goods”. “It is the United Kingdom which must decide whether it prefers this or whether there will be these controls from November 10,” he warned.
Thus, he reiterated that “Spain is the best disposition, and I have communicated this to the mayors and the Junta of Andalusia, to achieve this global, balanced and pragmatic agreement that we have been proposing for some time” . Furthermore, on November 10, the new Schengen Area Entry and Exit System (SES) and the new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) should come into force.
Non-agreement controls
The head of diplomacy wanted to clarify that it is something which “has nothing to do with the Gibraltar agreement”, nor imposed by Spain, but rather is a question of a new system for the entire Schengen area and that it will therefore be implemented. apply to all borders of access to it.
Albares hoped the deal could be reached in the remaining month – the negotiating teams are in constant contact, he said – but if that doesn’t happen, “there will now be machines in which it will be necessary place the passport for residents of Gibraltar when they wish to access the Schengen area and they will be able to do so for periods of 90 days every 180 days.
In this sense, he stressed that the proposal submitted to London provides for “the inclusion of Gibraltar in the Schengen area” to facilitate freedom of movement. “It is the United Kingdom which must decide whether it prefers this or whether there will be these controls from November 10,” he warned.
The Foreign Minister did not want to comment on recent statements by the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, who said that “the ball is in Spain’s court” because London had made “a fair and balanced”.
As flexible as possible
Thus, after recalling that Brussels and Madrid have already put their own proposal on the table, he assured that “we have been as flexible as possible”. “We sincerely do not see any real obstacle that would prevent the signing of this agreement between us,” he stressed. In the same sense, he reaffirmed that “Spain is best placed”, as he informed the mayors and the government of Andalusia, “to reach this global, balanced and pragmatic agreement that we have been proposing since some time.”
An agreement, he added, “which is based on specific issues such as the freedom of movement of people and goods, the physical elimination of the fence, the use of the airport and without renouncing our positions on sovereignty.
In another order of things, he highlighted that this Wednesday the sixth meeting with the authorities of Campo de Gibraltar took place “in a spirit of institutional loyalty on the part of the Spanish Government, towards the Junta de Andalucía” and also towards the mayors for whom, he added, he asked for “institutional loyalty to reach this agreement for the benefit of the 300,000 Andalusians of Campo de Gibraltar”.
Andalusia asks for a plan B
The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno, expressed this Wednesday his hope that the Spanish and British governments reach a “reasonable” agreement and in which the inhabitants of the British colony “do not return to emerge privileged and winners in the detriment” of the inhabitants of the Cádiz region of Campo de Gibraltar.
For his part, the advisor to the presidency, Antonio Sanz, who was present at the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, demanded that the Spanish government design a “plan B” with concrete measures that “strengthen the economy and the Campo de Gibraltar” in case an agreement is ultimately not reached. “You cannot leave Campogibraltarians stranded if there is no agreement,” he said.
Regarding the mayors, the mayor of San Roque (Cádiz), Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix (PSOE), indicated that to reach an agreement on Gibraltar, “decisions are needed which, in this case, require courage” . For his part, the mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce (PP), put on the table that businesses in the area are “in difficulty” and the councilor of La Línea de la Concepción, Juan Franco (la Línea 100×100) , warned on November 10 against the effects of biometric controls.
And to all this, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, stressed this Wednesday before the House of Commons that the Falkland Islands “are British” and that the sovereignty of Gibraltar “is not negotiable”, after the debate in both territories. » resurfaced at the dawn of the recent agreement to cede control of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.
