Albares defends the Gibraltar agreement before Congress, which tears down “the last wall in Europe” without “renouncing” Spanish sovereignty

Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, appeared before Congress this Wednesday to explain the details of the June 11 agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom on Gibraltar. This agreement, he asserted, will put an end to "the last wall in continental Europe" without "compromising or renouncing Spain's position" on the Rock. On June 11, José Manuel Albares, the Vice President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Lammy, reached a "definitive" political agreement on "the fundamental aspects of the future Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom in relation to Gibraltar" after meeting in Brussels in the presence of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo. The text, according to the joint declaration, "safeguards the respective legal positions of Spain and the United Kingdom regarding sovereignty and jurisdiction," 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 Gibraltar port and airport. To be effective, the agreement still needs to be formalized into a legally binding treaty, which is still being negotiated. "All democratic governments have tried to reach an agreement with the United Kingdom on this matter, but have not succeeded. This government has," the minister assured the Lower House. This text will allow for the fall of the Fence, "the last wall in continental Europe" built "by the United Kingdom in 1908 to separate us," he emphasized. Likewise, he continued, the agreement will mark "a turning point in terms of stability, prosperity, and well-being in the lives of the 300,000 Andalusians in Campo de Gibraltar," as it "offers a new development perspective for the region as a whole" and opens "a new era in our global cooperation with the United Kingdom." "This is the first time in 312 years that a Spanish government has reached a comprehensive agreement with the United Kingdom regarding Gibraltar since the Treaty of Utrecht," and it has been achieved "without compromising or renouncing Spain's position on Gibraltar," Albares stated. The agreement, he asserted, "explicitly indicates that we do not renounce our position and that nothing in the text or its application may be used to defend opposing positions in international courts." "We do not, nor will we ever, renounce demands that are fully safeguarded," he insisted. Schengen, customs and taxes Regarding the details, Albares assured that the agreement "includes provisions relating to the military base," under which "Spain will have access, for the first time, to complete information on goods and people arriving at the base to ensure that the Schengen and Customs Union acquis also apply to the base." In addition, he continued, "Schengen controls upon arrival and departure through the port and airport of Gibraltar will be carried out by the Spanish Police in accordance with the rules applied at any other Schengen external border." "Another historic aspect of the agreement, which will also contribute to improving connectivity in Campo de Gibraltar, is the use of the airport, which will be open to connecting it with other Spanish airports and the rest of the European Union and will establish a joint management system through the creation of a joint venture owned 50% by Spain," he added. The text also provides for "the elimination of all physical barriers, while protecting the integrity of the Union's single market and promoting the prosperity of the region." "The movement of goods," he assured, "will be carried out by land, subject to strict conditions and always after customs clearance has been completed at Spanish customs posts, meaning that goods destined for Gibraltar will have previously passed." "The Spanish authorities will carry out all customs procedures at designated customs posts," he insisted. The agreement, the minister continued, establishes the creation of a financial instrument, to which the EU, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Gibraltar will contribute, to promote cohesion and support employment and reduce the inequalities that exist in the region. "Environmental issues will have a specific chapter, specifically for the treatment of waste and effluents." According to Albares, the agreement will allow for a phased tax harmonization with European rates, including tobacco, which will be extended to excise duties on fuels and alcoholic beverages. "Gibraltar will implement an indirect tax similar to the Spanish VAT and never lower than the European minimum," set at 15 percent. "That is, indirect taxation levels in Gibraltar will be aligned with European regulations upon entry into force of the agreement to ensure a level playing field and avoid market distortions," he stated. "Until now, there were items that were not taxed or were taxed at only six percent," he recalled. Therefore, Albares asked the PP and the other parliamentary groups, through their representatives in the European Parliament, to support this "historic agreement" so that it can enter into force as soon as possible. "I hope, encourage, and request all of you to vote in favor in the European Parliament and move it forward as quickly as possible," he insisted. The People’s Party and Sumar In his speech, Carlos Floriano, of the People’s Party, asserted that the main objective of this "political agreement" is to "cover up" the PSOE's corruption crimes. "They have told us what they intend to do, but we haven't signed it yet. We don't know how it will end, which fills us with concern," he warned. "If the same rules regarding taxes and employment, combating smuggling, or environmental issues aren't met, the agreement reached will have little positive value for the citizens of Campo de Gibraltar," he added. Specifically, Carlos Floriano and other members of the People's Party Parliamentary Group in Congress filed a series of written parliamentary questions on September 25th (published this Monday in the Official Gazette of the Cortes Generales) in which they ask the government to explain whether the EU-UK Agreement on Gibraltar "guarantees a real equalization of tax pressure that will put an end to the distortion that the colony generates in the area," how, upon its entry into force, "the exercise of Schengen powers by Spain in these waters will be guaranteed, given the risk of a migratory pull effect with the disappearance of the Fence," and "what interest it has for Spain to facilitate the operation of the Gibraltar military airfield built on illegally occupied Spanish soil, legalizing its use and facilitating operations with the rest of the EU, currently restricted." The People's Party also asks whether the agreement establishes "a fair compensation system for Spanish Social Security, while respecting the rights of our workers," what guarantees Spain has "to ensure that the colony stops illegal landfills for real estate projects, which are very serious from an environmental perspective, on Spanish territory and reverses those already implemented," what "specific improvements" the Agreement includes "in the area of environmental protection, this being one of the main demands of Campo de Gibraltar," and what "effective measures" the text includes "to prevent a further increase in tobacco smuggling, which generates serious losses for the Spanish Treasury." Finally, the People's Party asks the Government "why a Special Delegate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Campo de Gibraltar has not been appointed since the last one in office left office in January 2024." For his part, the representative of the Sumar group (a minority partner in Pedro Sánchez's government), Agustín Santos Maraver, warned at the Congress against the hard line of "besieging, harassing, and attacking" Gibraltar "at the expense of the benefit of the populations in the area" and asserted that at no point have Spanish sovereign aspirations over Gibraltar, as expressed in the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, been denied. Picardo Specifically, Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, appeared before the UN Fourth Committee this Wednesday, where he demanded that the Rock be removed from the list of territories pending decolonization, defended "the right to self-determination" for Gibraltarians, and denounced the Spanish government's continued appeal to "Francoist" resolutions from the 1960s, which "lack legal value," to reject the most recent resolutions legitimizing self-determination.

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