Agreement with EU and UK in sight – Euractiv DE

Gibraltar Governor Fabian Picardo promised on Tuesday that Gibraltar's future relationship with the EU would be clarified in the first half of the year. He also said that this year will be the year to reach a post-Brexit settlement.

Picardo said in his New Year's message that “2024 is the year when a final decision will be made whether or not an agreement can be reached with Brussels.” The EU has been waiting for a solution since the UK left on December 31, 2020.

Gibraltar, a small island at the southern tip of the Spanish coast, has been a British colony since 1713, and its sovereignty has been repeatedly claimed by Spain.

Picardo, however, warned that “aspects of the discussion with the European Union and Spain could cause us embarrassment”, calling for “patience and calm” during the negotiations, saying they “will be our only allies”.

Gibraltar's governor insisted on being prepared for any pressure that might arise at the end of the negotiation period.

Gibraltar in a straight line

Speaking against Brexit, Picardo also pointed out that the UK's exit from the EU was “undoubtedly one of those unfortunate events”. It “forces us to sit at a table we never wanted to sit at” and puts Gibraltar in “good order”.

“We would not be sitting in these treaty negotiations if the United Kingdom had not voted to leave the EU,” Picardo insisted. It is pure fantasy for anyone in Gibraltar to suggest that these negotiations could have been successfully concluded earlier.

Gibraltar's head of government praised the “close cooperation with the United Kingdom” and said “these difficult and delicate negotiations will come to a successful conclusion”.

In the June 2016 Brexit referendum, 96 percent of those eligible to vote in Gibraltar voted to remain in the EU.

[Bearbeitet von Kjeld Neubert]