Spain and United Kingdom’s Meeting on Moldova Summit: No Progress on Gibraltar Issue

After the recent political events in Spain and the new electoral calendar, the meeting scheduled for the summit of Moldavia between the President of the Spanish Government and the British Prime Minister, but this has been very brief and has not produced any news regarding Gibraltarthat has transcended.

The brevity of the meeting between Peter Sanchez and Rishi Sunak in Chisinau (Moldova), was limited to a conversation of a few minutes, according to the digital media The Diplomat, specialized in international issues. This brevity and that no comment regarding the situation of Gibraltar It suggests that, in effect, the momentum for the agreement with the EU has been, at least for the moment, interrupted pending clarification of the political circumstances in Spain.

the medium itself The Diplomat explains that “no one believes that, after the electoral advance in Spain, progress can be made to close that agreement shortly and now the British Government, pressured by Gibraltar, may have the objective that the Spanish authorities agree to continue allowing the passage of the Gate to Gibraltarian citizens, without treating them as citizens of countries that are not part of Schengen”.

After the electoral result of the municipal and regional elections in Spain, the journalistic media, social networks and the main Gibraltarian political leaders considered negotiations for a future blocked. Treaty on Gibraltar with the European Union and they began to consider the possibility of the Spanish authorities maintaining or not the passage through the Gate for Gibraltarians without any restriction, as if the Brexit it would not have happened.

Till the date, Gibraltarians have been enjoying an exceptional measure when crossing the border since the Schengen control measures that do affect all citizens with British passports are not applied to them. In the case of Gibraltarian citizens, they can show a so-called “red card” (because of its colour) that allows them to enjoy the exceptions allowed until now without any consideration from the British-Gibraltar party.

ELECTIONS IN GIBRALTAR WITHOUT A TREATY

What does seem clear at this point is that, for the moment, the chances of an agreement have been altered, that it is highly unlikely that they will advance until a new government is formed in Spain –which, for the very soon, it would not be until next August — and that the Gibraltar elections will be in the autumn of this year, so it seems more than probable that the same will be reached, then, without the Treaty having been resolved.

The only possibility would be for the British delegation to relax its position on the proposed agreementas Minister Albares already explained publicly at the end of last year, but which, for the moment, is still not accepted by the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, which leaves the prospects for an agreement with very poor prospects.