Luis Ayllón
The British Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty, visited Gibraltar yesterday to analyze with the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, the state of the negotiation between the United Kingdom and the EU on the future of the Rock after Brexit and, specifically, the future of the colony, if an agreement is not reached.
This is the third time that, since taking office in September 2022, Docherty has visited Gibraltar, and he has done so at a time when there is absolute silence on the progress of negotiations between London and Brussels to try to close a treaty that regulates the situation in which the Rock will remain. Although Spain does not participate directly in these negotiations, any agreement reached must have its green light to be implemented.
As reported yesterday by the Gibraltarian Government, Docherty went to the headquarters of the Gibraltarian Government, in Convent Place, where he met with the chief minister; the deputy chief minister, Joseph García; the Minister of Economic Development, Sir Joe Bossano; and the Minister of Health, Gemma Arias-Vásquez “to discuss matters related to the negotiation of the treaty between the United Kingdom and the EU on Gibraltar and, in particular, planning in the event of a Non-Negotiated Outcome (NNO)” .
The Gibraltarian authorities indicated that, specifically, the Minister of Health explained to Docherty the issues that would arise in terms of health and care in the event of no agreement, and that the British Minister also toured the areas of the Port and the Port of Containers and received information about the works carried out there, also in anticipation of this lack of understanding for the Treaty.
Although at some point the British and Spanish expressed their confidence that the negotiations could be closed before Easter, at the moment it is unknown if there has been any kind of progress, among other reasons because the talks are taking place with absolute silence from all parties.
Despite everything, yesterday Picardo, after highlighting the work that Docherty and García have been developing in the face of the possibility of a Non-Negotiated Result, expressed his confidence in being able to reach an agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU “that contains – he said – the result that Gibraltar wants and needs and without any concession in matters of sovereignty, jurisdiction or control.”
The Chief Minister added that also working on a Non-Negotiated Outcome scenario is the only responsible way to proceed, but insisted that he remains very optimistic and believes that the outcome “will be positive and negotiated and will deliver a treaty between the UK and the EU on favorable terms and requiring no compromise beyond what is acceptable to the People of Gibraltar, 96% of whom voted to remain within the EU in the 2016 referendum.”
Finally, Picardo assures that he has been in close contact with the Foreign Minister, David Cameron, and his office, “as we move forward,” he stressed, “towards what appear to be the final stages of this vitally important negotiation, and the United Kingdom and Gibraltar are working more closely than ever to achieve the outcome that the people of Gibraltar want.”
On January 19, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, reiterated that London has had on the table for many months “an agreement that is generous, that is balanced and that is good for Gibraltar and for the Campo de Gibraltar” and that would allow the creation of the area of shared prosperity that the two governments desire.
Since then, however, it is not known that there has been any progress in the contacts between the United Kingdom and the European Commission and there are fewer and fewer days left for the time horizon of Easter. Furthermore, the time remaining for the holding of the European Parliament elections on June 9 is also reducing and if an agreement is not reached before then we would have to wait for the composition of a new European Commission.
