The Diplomat
The European Commission has taken the initiative, taking another step to try to close an agreement on the future of Gibraltar after Brexit, after eighteen formal rounds of negotiations have already been held between Brussels and London.
The executive vice president of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations, Maros Sefcovic, wants to have all those involved together and, for this reason, he summoned the British Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Cameron, and his Spanish colleague, José Manuel Albares, in what appears to be an attempt to definitively resolve the differences that still persist.
In addition, will be at the meeting Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, who yesterday afternoon was quick to announce the date of the meeting, highlighting that “it will be the highest level multilateral negotiation he has ever attended”, since negotiations began, in October 2021, for the agreement that will regulate the Rock’s relationship with the EU as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s departure from the community club.
Picardo will be accompanied to Brussels by the Deputy Chief Minister, Joseph García, the Attorney General, Michael Llamas, and the Principal Secretary, Glendon Martínez, a large delegation that shows that Gibraltarians hope that the meeting will allow the negotiations to be unblocked.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs limited itself to acknowledging that they were preparing a meeting with the United Kingdom and the European Commission “in the very short term”, but without specifying the date. In addition, he assured that “the conversations have progressed substantially in recent weeks” and that they will provide more details “at the appropriate time.”
Sefcovic, who is the commissioner in charge of the EU negotiations with the Government of the United Kingdom on the issue of Gibraltar, had already announced yesterday that a “political” meeting would be held in the coming days to take stock, since the talks At a technical level they are “in full swing.”
“The negotiations on Gibraltar are very delicate. Furthermore, technically, extremely demanding. But what I value very positively is the constructive atmosphere. The teams are working very well together,” said the Slovak commissioner during a press conference.
Sefcovic announced that, after having held “quite a few rounds of negotiations at the technical level”, the parties should move on to “an assessment of progress at the political level.”
Despite the expectations regarding Friday’s meeting, a spokesperson for the British Government warned Europa Press that the agreement “is not imminent” but that the objective of the meeting being prepared is to provide “a platform to advance even further” towards achieving an agreement.
