Spain does not want a “no deal” scenario.
– Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Europe Press, referring to this
The Spanish government and the European Union, which is after all a signatory to the agreement with the United Kingdom, are ready for any scenario.
The Brexit agreement announced on Christmas Eve 2020 did not include Gibraltar, the situation is currently regulated only by the fact that Madrid and London signed a few days later an agreement in principle, which advocated the idea of integrating the British territories into the Schengen area of the European Union .
Negotiations to turn the agreement into a formal treaty began in October 2021, focusing on common points such as the 15,000 workers arriving in Gibraltar daily from Spain.
However, the campaign to protect the freedom of movement of workers has also raised one of the contentious points of the proposal: the question of who would handle passport control of passengers arriving at Gibraltar airport.Spain, as a Schengen member state, has repeatedly insisted that the Spanish police be responsible. However, the UK has invited the EU’s border agency, Frontex, to take over.
Obviously, we cannot stay in this situation forever
Paris said.
The UK needs to clarify whether or not it wants this agreement, which covers all aspects of the relationship between Spain and the UK in relation to Gibraltar.
Officials in Gibraltar – where 96% of the population voted to remain in the European Union in 2016 – are preparing for the worst and are already trying to simulate potential situations through exercises.
Cover photo: Shutterstock
