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“The ball is in the UK.” It is the idea that the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, repeated this morning in an interview in Al Rojo Vivo when asked about the agreement between Brussels and the United Kingdom, regarding Gibraltar.
The head of Spanish diplomacy has assured that “we are very close, but nothing is agreed.” A play on words with which he wanted to remember that Spain has already presented its plan, which contemplates the creation of a zone of joint prosperity, but, nevertheless, London has not yet made a move. “It’s up to the UK to decide if they want that deal or want another one,” has said.
Spain wants the endless chapter that was opened for Gibraltar after Brexit to be closed as soon as possible. 96% of Gibraltarians voted to remain in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, partly because their citizens feared the harsh consequences of leaving, which are still being negotiated to this day. The border between Spain and Gibraltar is the only land, along with that of Ireland, which now exists between the UK and the EU. It is crossed daily by 15,000 workers, of which more than 10,000 are Spanish from an area such as Campo de Gibraltar, where an unemployment rate of 30% is rarely lowered. Therefore, for Spain there is also a lot at stake. Beyond the question of sovereignty, Brexit now forces Madrid and La Roca to find a pragmatic solution of coexistence.
That is why, according to the Spanish government, the Spanish proposal on the zone of shared prosperity is an option that It will make it easier for the Spanish to continue working on the Rock.
Regarding customs matters, it is proposed to guarantee the freedom of movement of goods between the EU and Gibraltar, without this increasing the risks for the internal market of the EU, in particular, for economic operators in the area in terms of unfair competition or illicit traffic, such as tobacco. As in the case of persons, this will require Spain, on behalf of the EU, to exercise functions of control and protection of the internal market, as customs controls between Spain and Gibraltar disappear.
In addition, the conditions of fair and loyal competition are preserved, so that economic operators in Gibraltar compete under conditions similar to those of other economic operators in the EU and, in particular, in the Campo de Gibraltar area. .
war ukraine
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Albares expressed his fear that the conflict could become chronic and he wished that the Russian invasion would not become an Afghanistan II. He has pronounced these words, when the conflict is about to complete its first year.
