<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The UK government and the European Commission pledged this Monday to “successfully conclude the talks on Gibraltar” to reach an agreement that benefits the population and protects “British sovereignty.”</strong></h4> “Pleased to exchange with Foreign Secretary David Lammy on the sidelines of the EU-UK Summit,” European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Maroš Šefčovič wrote on social media after meeting with the British Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the first formal summit between the two parties since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, held this Monday in London. “We remain focused on successfully concluding talks on Gibraltar. The momentum is key: it's high time to get the job done,” he added. “I have joined (UK Foreign Office Minister) David Lammy to welcome the new UK-EU partnership with Maroš Šefčovič,” wrote UK Minister of State for Europe, North America and British Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty. “We also discussed our shared determination to agree a treaty” on the Rock, he continued. “This will deliver for people in Gibraltar and protect British sovereignty,” he added. During the EU-UK Summit, the two sides adopted a joint declaration that sets the stage for future cooperation on global issues. Specifically, a Security and Defense Partnership was agreed upon, facilitating the United Kingdom's participation in EU defense programs, as well as a Common Understanding on a Renewed Agenda for Cooperation, which identifies specific areas such as military mobility, energy cooperation, maritime security, and youth exchanges, in which the parties will work more closely. <div class="lRu31" dir="ltr"><span class="HwtZe" lang="en"><span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb">For his part, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares held an "excellent meeting" in Brussels with Sefcovic on Tuesday "regarding the agreement regarding Gibraltar."</span></span> <span class="jCAhz"><span class="ryNqvb">"We share the will and determination to reach an agreement," the Spanish Foreign Minister wrote on social media.</span></span></span></div> In subsequent statements to the press, the minister stated that, during his meeting with the commissioner, both had reiterated their "political will" and "determination" to reach an agreement with the United Kingdom regarding Gibraltar "as soon as possible." He asserted that "Spain's position regarding sovereignty remains unchanged; I have said this from the outset, and it is clear." On May 13, Albares told the BBC that "there are still many, many things we need to talk about, including Gibraltar," an issue that "is still unresolved" because "there is still no agreement." He warned that "it is very clear that it is part of the withdrawal agreement" and, therefore, "we must resolve the Gibraltar issue to have a full relationship between the EU and the United Kingdom." Last October, Albares warned in Luxembourg—on the occasion of a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), on the sidelines of which he met with his British counterpart, David Lammy—that the Spanish government "would not understand the United Kingdom's rapprochement with the EU" without London's acceptance of the agreement proposed by Spain and Brussels on the future of Gibraltar after Brexit. This agreement, he added, "respects the European Union's acquis in the Schengen area and the Customs Union" and "guarantees the freedom of movement of people and goods." Around the same time, the Secretary of State for the EU, Fernando Sampedro, conveyed to the United Kingdom and Gibraltar that the Spanish government would not accept any kind of à la carte agreement with the European Union on the future of the Rock after Brexit. "Spain generally advocates that, in agreements with neighboring and friendly countries, as we do with the United Kingdom, including in relation to Gibraltar, no exceptions should be made, and that no individual selection of the topics to be addressed in the agreement should be allowed," he stated. Spain wants the United Kingdom and Gibraltar to accept the potential agreement in its entirety, and not just the points that interest them, especially with regard to the colony's inclusion in the Schengen Area of free movement of people and goods, which would mean the abolition of the Fence. Spain accepted the abolition of the Fence in the 2020 New Year's Eve agreement, but has not renounced the presence of Spanish police officers at entry and exit controls at ports and airports, something that the British and Gibraltarians do not like, who see it as a setback for their sovereignty.
