The Diplomat
The UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, insisted yesterday that there will be no control by Spanish agents at border posts on the Gibraltarian territory.
Raab travelled to the Rock to hold, together with Picardo, the first meeting of the UK-Gibraltar Joint Ministerial Council created in 2016 to promote fluid movement between the British colony and the Schengen area, following Brexit.
At the end of the meeting, the UK and Gibraltar issued a joint statement in which they said they will maintain a joint approach to the upcoming negotiations on a treaty between London and Brussels, with regard to the Rock, to achieve a text that ensures the smooth and open movement of people and goods between Gibraltar and the EU.
The statement underlines the “goodwill” of all parties involved in the negotiations on the final status of Gibraltar as a result of Brexit, including the Spanish government, but warns that “for both the UK and Gibraltar governments, frontline Schengen external border controls on the territory of Gibraltar by Spanish officials would not be acceptable”. It adds: ‘The British identity of Gibraltar and the sovereignty of the United Kingdom must be preserved’.
Since an agreement in principle with the UK on free movement between Gibraltar and Spanish territory was reached at the end of last year, the Spanish authorities have maintained that Spain will have the final say on access to the Schengen area. It appears that the Spanish agents will be located in premises not on Gibraltarian soil, but with control over people seeking access to Spain and, consequently, to the Schengen area.
The joint declaration considers the framework agreed with Spain as “a clear basis” for the Treaty with the EU, and assures that it provides “a pragmatic model for achieving the fluid movement of people between Gibraltar and the Schengen area”. He recalls that, according to this model, a joint operation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) may be established for an initial period of application of four years.
Restrictions lifted
Meanwhile, yesterday it became known that the Spanish Government has lifted temporary restrictions on land access to the Schengen area from Gibraltar and extended temporary restrictions on non-essential travel from Schengen zone countries and third countries as part of measures to contain the spread and spread of COVID-19.
According to the Order of the Ministry of Interior published yesterday by the Official State Gazette (BOE), from 18:00 hours today is without effect the Order of December 22 by which temporarily restricted access by land from Gibraltar to the Schengen area through the checkpoint of people of La Línea de la Concepción for reasons of public health caused by the health crisis of COVID-19.
The cessation of land restrictions from Gibraltar is a direct consequence of the Government’s decision, adopted last March 23, not to extend the agreement of December 22, 2020, which established the limitations on direct flights and passenger ships between the United Kingdom and Spanish airports and ports and which established, in its third point, the limitations of entry by land to the Schengen area from the Rock, in order to restrict the entry of persons from flights landing in the territory of Gibraltar.
The lifting of the restrictions on flights and ships from the United Kingdom, which end today, will force British citizens to submit to the same rules of the Schengen area and, therefore, to present a negative PCR test to be able to enter Spain. According to Foreign Office sources, this measure will lift the extraordinary restrictions on air and sea connectivity from the United Kingdom without affecting non-essential travel, which will be maintained as for the rest of third countries.
On the other hand, the Government extended yesterday, until 24:00 next April 30, the Order of July 17 by which temporarily restrict non-essential travel from third countries to the European Union and Schengen associated countries, “without prejudice to its possible modification to respond to a change of circumstances or new recommendations within the European Union”. The previous extension, which ended tomorrow, March 31, was authorized last February 26 by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and included a clause excluding from these restrictions the land border with Andorra and “the checkpoint of persons with the territory of Gibraltar”.
