The Diplomat
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, defended yesterday that what the Rock needs is not “a quick agreement” between the EU and London on this territory, but one that does not have “negative consequences” for the Gibraltarians, while assuring that under no circumstances will there be cessions in terms of sovereignty in exchange for access to the European Union.
He stated this in his New Year’s Message, after the Foreign Affairs Minister, José Manuel Albares, has stressed in recent weeks that the negotiation between the UK and the EU for an agreement on the future relationship with Gibraltar after Brexit cannot be prolonged “forever” after the global proposal put forward by Spain and Brussels.
Picardo explained to the Gibraltarians the state of the negotiations. “We will never give up one iota of British sovereignty in exchange for access rights to the EU for people, goods, flights, etc.”, he affirmed, “without nuance or room for doubt”.
But he also stressed that what is being “negotiated with the EU is enormously complex”, given that it covers “from the labelling of products to the taxation of goods”, which is why he predicted that the final agreement will probably be “hundreds of pages long”, reports Europa Press.
The important thing, according to Picardo, is to “get all aspects right to ensure that there are no negative consequences for our economy or our autonomy”. For this reason, he said he was “convinced” that the Gibraltarians share the position adopted by the British government and the Rock in the negotiations.
“I know you understand why the negotiations are taking so long. I know you reject the idea that we could have achieved a secure treaty more quickly,” he said, stressing that “any suggestion to that effect is disingenuous”.
Picardo said he refuses to believe that the Gibraltarians want him to accept “a quick deal and not the right deal if you can get it”. That said, he assured them that London and Gibraltar would continue to “work tirelessly to get a deal” and would not accept “concessions on the fundamentals”.
On this point, he reiterated that the Rock is equally prepared in the event that there is no agreement, while stressing that it will not be possible “to maintain normality before Brexit”. Despite this, “I remain confident that there is a path towards a treaty that does not force us to compromise on fundamental aspects” and although the agreement “may be uncomfortable in some areas, as was also certainly the case when the UK joined the EU in 1972, the absence of it “will also be very uncomfortable”, said the chief minister.
“If we get a deal, as I think we will, it will be a safe deal. And it will in no way affect our exclusively British sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over Gibraltar,” he said, stressing that “the reality is that Gibraltar is now irreversibly British”.
“The work we are doing to achieve a treaty will not change that, nor our Constitution, nor our sovereignty, nor the sovereignty of any part of the territory, territorial waters or airspace of our precious Gibraltar,” Picardo remarked.
