<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>British Foreign Secretary David Lammy assured the House of Commons on Thursday that the agreement with the EU guarantees “the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over Gibraltar, including its territorial waters” and that “the military base will continue to operate as before, without changes.”</strong></h4> “The sovereignty of the United Kingdom over Gibraltar, including its territorial waters, remains sacrosanct and irrefutable,” Lammy told the House of Commons, one day after the agreement between European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič and the Foreign Ministers of Spain and the United Kingdom, José Manuel Albares and David Lammy, on Gibraltar’s future position in the EU after Brexit was announced in Brussels. According to Lammy, the agreement includes “a sovereignty clause to ensure that there is no doubt about Gibraltar’s sovereignty and its unique relationship with the UK family.” "Spain recognizes Gibraltar's sovereignty and its relationship with the United Kingdom in this agreement, and this detail will be reflected in the treaty" formalizing the agreement, he added. Albares stated on Wednesday, and confirmed this Thursday, that the agreement makes it "absolutely clear" that Spain will not renounce "at any time" its claim to sovereignty. Specifically, according to the joint declaration signed by the three parties, the agreement "safeguards the respective legal positions of Spain and the United Kingdom regarding sovereignty and jurisdiction." Furthermore, Lammy assured that the British military base in Gibraltar "will continue to operate as before, without any changes," because its presence "is vital to the national security of the United Kingdom." "For us, it was a red line throughout the negotiations," he added. The British Foreign Secretary also clarified that, following this agreement, "Gibraltar will not enter Schengen," an aspect that "was never on the table." According to Lammy, Spanish police officers will be responsible for carrying out Schengen controls at the port and airport, but "immigration, policing, and justice will remain the responsibility of the Gibraltar authorities." In this regard, Albares stated on Wednesday, during a press conference with Sefcovic, that the agreement entails the disappearance of the fence, "the last wall in continental Europe," and that "Spain will exercise control over entry and exit within the Schengen area." Specifically, the joint statement indicates that "the parties have agreed to establish dual Gibraltar and Schengen border controls at the port and airport of Gibraltar, which will be carried out through full cooperation between the EU and UK/Gibraltar authorities," and that, while "on the European Union side, Spain will carry out full Schengen controls," on the UK side, "full Gibraltar controls will continue to be carried out as before."
