Negotiators for a UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relations with the bloc will hold another four-way political summit in Brussels on Thursday to continue the work toward an agreement.
The meeting, the third of its kind, will bring together UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares, European Commission vice president Maroš ŠefÄoviÄ and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, as well as their respective negotiating teams.
Thursday’s meeting had been provisionally pencilled in for some time and was confirmed on Monday afternoon following a meeting in London between Mr Lammy and Mr Albares. The meeting in Brussels will be in the same format as the two previous ones but will be the first one attended by Mr Lammy, who succeeded Lord Cameron as Foreign Secretary after Labour’s general election win last July.
The two earlier summits, in April and May, failed to seal the deal despite wide expectation, although all sides signalled “important breakthroughs” at the time.
Technical work in the negotiation has continued since then, but Thursday will be the first meeting at ministerial level since the UK election. “I look forward to continuing the work of seeking agreement for a UK / EU Treaty on Gibraltar's future relationship with the EU,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.
“We still have technical issues to resolve but I remain optimistic that a safe and secure agreement is possible that will be beneficial to all and that will bring renewed and enhanced prosperity to the whole region.”
Ahead of Monday’s UK/Spain meeting in 1 Carlton Gardens, the Foreign Secretary’s residence in London, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office [FCDO] said Mr Lammy and Mr Albares would discuss “the full spectrum of the UK-Spain bilateral relationship”.
Within that context, the FCDO said at the weekend that Mr Lammy was “keen to understand” first hand from Mr Albares Spain’s position in the Gibraltar negotiation, but made clear this was only a discussion.
“There will be no negotiations with respect to Gibraltar on Monday, or at any meeting with the Spanish at which the Government of Gibraltar is not present,” an FCDO spokesperson said at the time.
