BREXIT: Spain And The European Commission Propose Removing The Gibraltar Border
Spain News
Published: 28 November 2022 17:01 CET
Spain and the European Commission have approached the British government with a proposal to keep the border between Spain and Gibraltar open in order to ease freedom of movement.
According to a ministry statement, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said “The text presented to the United Kingdom is a comprehensive proposal that includes provisions on mobility with the aim of removing the border fence and guaranteeing freedom of movement.”
"This requires Spain to take control, on behalf of the Schengen area, of Gibraltar's external borders and, to this end, to be able to exercise certain functions and powers necessary to protect the integrity and security of the Schengen area.”
Gibraltar has a land area of just 6.8 square kilometers and a population of roughly 32,000 people. It is a tiny British enclave that sits at Spain’s southern tip and its economy provides a lifeline for approximately 15,000 people who cross in and out to work every day. Most of those are Spanish who live in the neighboring city of La Línea.
Mr Albares said that the proposal would mean Madrid “taking on a monitoring and protection role on behalf of the EU with regards to the internal market with the removal of the customs border control” between Gibraltar and Spain.
The deal would “guarantee the free movement of goods between the EU and Gibraltar” whilst guaranteeing respect for fair competition, meaning businesses in the enclave would “compete under similar conditions to those of other EU operators, notably those in the surrounding area”.
On December 31, 2020, as the Brexit deadline approached, Spain, Britain and the European Union agreed that Gibraltar would remain part of EU agreements such as the Schengen Area and Spain would police the port and the airport, pending a definitive solution.
The British ambassador in Madrid Hugh Elliott said on Thursday in an interview on Gibraltar TV GBC he was confident a deal can be reached this year.
Although Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in 1713, for decades Madrid has wanted it back. However, the Foreign Minister said that Spain has agreed to put aside the issue of its sovereignty claim over Gibraltar to focus on the opportunity to keep the border open.
Sources
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spain-eu-propose-keep-gibraltar-land-border-open-spain-says-2022-11-25/
https://www.thelocal.es/20221126/brexit-spain-and-eu-suggest-removing-gibraltar-border/
