The Foreign Ministers of Spain and the United Kingdom, Jose Manuel Albares and David CameronTogether with the head of the European Brexit negotiations, Maros Sefcovic, they will meet in Brussels this Friday to discuss the “most complex issues” of the Gibraltar negotiations.
At the meeting scheduled for 12:00 p.m., the delegations want to bring to the table issues such as the use of the airport and customs control, which have become the focus of the negotiating teams’ negotiations due to their complexity and the reluctance of both parties. for months now.
Both delegations look forward to the meeting with optimism at a time when, as Albares explained, agreement on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit adjustment is “very close” and there is “very positive momentum”.
However, Albares stressed to Onda Cero that “it may not be the last day, but almost” and that in any case “a full elaboration will have to come later, but we are already close to it.” He explained that he was in the position to reach an agreement “on the general lines” for the month of July.
An impression also shared by the British delegation, which “does not expect this meeting to lead to a final agreement”, but believes that the meeting represents an “opportunity” to exchange views that “serve as a platform for progress could”. the negotiations.”
Sources from the Foreign Ministry stated that “important rapprochement processes” had taken place in recent weeks and that the Spanish negotiators were able to confirm a “constructive attitude from all parties and the willingness to reach an agreement”.
Both Spain, the EU and the United Kingdom are interested in the agreement being reached before the European elections. This is planned for next June so as not to delay the agreement for several months, in addition to changes in the composition of the European Parliament.
In addition, the UK will have an election in January 2025, which could mean a change of government and negotiating team and another delay of months, as was the case with the 2023 election, which effectively paralyzed the process from May to December .