Unfounded speculation has swirled in recent days that the UK and the EU could be close to signing a treaty over Gibraltar, prompting pushback from insiders. Reports in Spain revealed that, two weeks ago, four officials from London met with senior figures in the Gibraltar government and the Chamber of Commerce, including its President. They reportedly met to discuss “day-to-day trade relations with Spain“, but European Sur, a Spanish daily newspaper reported that its sources “interpret the content discussed in the brief but intense tour of the Rock as a preamble to an agreement that will end customs controls at the border and revive major trade developments between the territory and the EU”, as reported by The Olive Press.
Speculation has since swirled that both sides are on the brink of a deal, but insiders within the Chamber have since sought to dampen expecations. Speaking to The Olive Press, they said that while a delegation from the UK Foreign Office did meet with The Chamber of Commerce President John Isola, the meetings were “nothing new”.
According to the sources, such meetings have been taking place “virtually every month for the past year at least”, as per the outlet.
Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia are in London this week for what has been described as a “final round” of talks, with their presence adding to speculation that an agreement could be just days away.
The talks are being hosted by the UK’s Stephen Doughty, the Minister for Europe, North America and the Overseas Territories at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Politico reported on Monday.
The European Commission’s senior negotiator, Clara Martinez Alberola, and Spain‘s State Secretary for the European Union, Fernando Sampedro, are also reportedly involved, along with their technical teams.
Last week, Sampedro said another high-level meeting would be held “when the conditions are right”, adding to the optimism among those keen for the long-running saga to be resolved, as per Gibraltar Chronicle.
He said at the time that “even at my level” technical contacts continued “very smoothly”, adding that there was “no impasse”.
Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, the mayor of San Roque and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Spain’s Congress of Deputies, signalled positivity about the talks’ progress, believing that “only small details remain to reach an agreement”, as per The Olive Press.
London and Brussels have been locked in negotiations over a new common travel area between established between Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, and Spain, with several rounds of negotiations since 2021.
Spain, Britain and the EU had previously agreed that Gibraltar would remain part of EU agreements including the border-free Schengen Area until a lasting solution could be found, as per Reuters.