Sánchez congratulates Starmer for helping to “successfully” conclude the Gibraltar agreement

Eduardo González Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez congratulated British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday, with whom he met in London, for having “successfully concluded a fundamental agreement between Spain, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission regarding Gibraltar.” “Seven years, a long time has passed since the last official visit and bilateral meeting between the British Prime Minister and a Spanish Prime Minister,” Sánchez said during a joint statement by the two leaders, sitting opposite each other after meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence, 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister has traveled to the United Kingdom four times, but all of them were for multilateral summits and never included bilateral meetings with the four Conservative British Prime Ministers who have governed the United Kingdom since Sánchez became Prime Minister in June 2018: Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Elizabeth Truss, and Rishi Sunak. “I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Starmer on his initiative, as he has successfully concluded a fundamental agreement between Spain, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission regarding Gibraltar,” he continued. “I also congratulate him on the way the British government is restarting relations with the European Union. This is also something of great importance to Spain.” The agreement on Gibraltar, adopted last June by the three parties in Brussels and which is expected to be embodied in a treaty that is still being negotiated, safeguards the respective legal positions of Spain and the United Kingdom in terms of sovereignty and jurisdiction,” according to the joint declaration. It guarantees the free movement of people by eliminating borders and controls between Gibraltar and Campo de Gibraltar and establishes that the Spanish national police will be responsible, on behalf of the European Union, for carrying out full Schengen controls at the port and airport of Gibraltar. Furthermore, Sánchez assured this Wednesday in London that the two governments are “aligned on various issues and different policies,” such as “climate change or the terrible tragedy, the situation we are facing in Gaza,” and highlighted the signing, on this same trip, of the strategic bilateral agreement, the first of the post-Brexit era, which “will strengthen our cooperation and collaboration on numerous issues, such as gender equality, sustainable development, and the transition to green energy.” For his part, Starmer acknowledged that he finds it “incredible that they have "Seven years have passed since the last meeting between a Spanish Prime Minister and a British Prime Minister here in Downing Street," he said, adding that during the meeting they had discussed "various issues, such as Ukraine and the terrible situation in Gaza. Of course, today we are here to sign a bilateral agreement on a very important issue, and therefore today is a crucial day for my country and for my Government," he concluded. Strategic Bilateral Framework The Strategic Bilateral Framework, according to Moncloa, strengthens ties between the two countries and deepens collaboration and cooperation on a wide range of issues, structured into seven sections: sustainable growth, foreign and development policy, relations between both societies, climate and energy policy, European security and defense, judicial cooperation and migration, and transport. In economic matters, the Framework aims to foster sustainable growth, strengthened by a trade and investment partnership between Spain and the United Kingdom, which will be developed through a new trade and investment dialogue. In this regard, an economic forum led by representatives of both governments is planned, fostering a favorable business environment and unlocking new investment and innovation opportunities. The two countries also commit to collaborating on their foreign and development policies, promoting a strengthened multilateral system and working for gender equality and defending the rights of women and girls. In security and defense, Spain and the United Kingdom agree to strengthen their cooperation to ensure Euro-Atlantic security, with special mention of threats such as cybersecurity, terrorism, and hybrid attacks, and reaffirm their commitment to developing a European defense industry. Regarding judicial cooperation, they commit to strengthening collaboration in the fight against cross-border crime, criminal and terrorist groups, drug and human trafficking, and violence against women and girls. In the areas of climate, energy, and green policy, the agreement reflects the desire to increase ambition in the fight against climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Both parties recognize the need to protect the marine environment, promote the circular economy, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, accelerate the clean energy transition, and invest in renewables. To deepen relations between the two societies, the Framework provides for expanding cooperation in areas such as tourism, education, the arts, media, sports, and industry. In this regard, both parties commit to cooperating to promote mobility opportunities for their citizens, protect their rights, facilitate access to universities, strengthen ties between different municipalities, increase the learning of Spanish and English, and develop a new sustainable tourism model based on innovation and digitalization. Finally, as world leaders in the transport sector, Spain and the United Kingdom commit to ensuring the fluidity of freight and passenger traffic. The text also provides that the heads of both Foreign Ministries will hold an annual strategic dialogue to strengthen the partnership between the two countries. Through this dialogue, they will ensure the implementation of this agreement and monitor the progress made. Business Forum On the occasion of this meeting, the two leaders (both Social Democrats) participated that same day in a business roundtable with the British and Spanish Ministers of Finance, Rachel Reeves and Carlos Cuerpo, and with major Spanish companies with interests in the British economy, such as Iberdrola, Telefónica, Santander, Navantia, Indra, Aena, ITP Aero, FCC, IAG, Octopus, SSE, BP, BAE Systems, and Barclays. During his speech, the Prime Minister stated that Spain was the largest economy in the Eurozone that grew the fastest between 2021 and 2024, and that it had created 20% of all jobs created in the EU during that period, opening up new opportunities for investment and business partnerships with the United Kingdom. Sánchez also highlighted that the United Kingdom is the largest non-EU market for Spanish exports, with a value exceeding €50 billion in 2024, and the second-largest destination for Spanish direct investment worldwide. In this regard, he encouraged taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the current situation and the synergies between the two countries in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable mobility, defense, artificial intelligence, and biosciences, with the aim of consolidating a stable, dynamic, and long-term partnership.

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