Gibraltar showcases the British “gene” with a parade in honor of the new monarch as he prepares for the coronation of Charles III. Meanwhile, British, Spanish and European diplomacy is on fire as the deal to find a place for Rock in the European Union slips through our fingers. The UK governor presses and calls for a text to be approved before the summer. The British Prime Minister calls Pedro Sánchez to talk about the progress of the negotiations. However, it turns out that both agree that the deal is desirable and as soon as possible. But nothing seems to have changed on the field. The Spanish Foreign Minister repeats his mantra of recent months: Spain has already made an offer, “The ball is in England.” and “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed upon”. The Rock Government draws up contingency plans in case there is no agreement in the end and La Verja becomes a hard border and hinders the transit and economic relationship between Gibraltar and the neighboring state of Cádiz. However, nowadays III. Time to celebrate the arrival of Carlos.
British Forces in Gibraltar
staff British Forces in Gibraltar parade in front of “El Convento” this Wednesday. Official residence of the Governor of Gibraltar. The celebration was organized by the British Ministry of Defense in Gibraltar at the request of Governor David Steel and Prime Minister Fabian Picardo. There is also Her Majesty’s Government number 6 at Convent Place. Both officials are now in the UK, at the King’s request, to represent Gibraltar at the coronation. To the central square of Casemates Square, this Saturday III. A big screen will be set up on which Carlos’ coronation will be broadcast live.
The parade of British soldiers in Gibraltar has a strong symbolic charge. One of the problems slowing down the deal to reach an agreement between London, Brussels and Madrid via Gibraltar Of the thousands of soldiers who constantly enter Gibraltar and whose identities have to be verified by Spain as the guarantor representative of the European Schengen area, if the dividing fence is finally torn down, just that.
by Gibraltar Between 12,000 and 14,000 British soldiers pass through here each year., in addition to a large number of warships and military aircraft, in addition to standing forces. The data was first released on 24 April by British Defense Secretary James Heappey in a response to the House of Commons echoed by News Gibraltar. Add to this the permanent presence of a thousand more, including soldiers, civil servants and contract civilians assigned to El Peñón.
As this newspaper announced, the Gibraltar Treaty negotiations, which have already gone through 13 rounds, are joined by another secret negotiation of a highly military nature and the lack of progress hampering the main agreement. A military base in Gibraltar Important for the British Armed Forces, who do not want Spanish border guards to check their documents upon arrival at a Royal Navy port or Royal Air Force airport.
In 2022 alone, 79 naval vessels with 6,000 to 7,000 naval personnel arrived in Gibraltar; 117 military aircraft with 4,000 military passengers; and 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers on training missions, mostly from the Army.
Diplomatic troubles and political pressure
The political and diplomatic context in Gibraltar in recent weeks a hive.
The number two in the British Government and former Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab left the government two weeks ago amid a scandal over alleged harassment of two of his subordinates. One of them will be Hugh Elliott, the current British Ambassador to Spain, who will be excluded from the Gibraltar talks for allegedly crossing marked lines from London, according to the Daily Telegraph. A proposal regarding the Spanish presence in Gibraltar Controlling entry into the European Schengen Area.
Technical meetings between interested parties were doubled to arrive at a text that developed the preliminary agreement for the 2020 New Year’s Eve. London and Madrid decided to postpone the final lace frame Gibraltar on the Peninsula and the rest of the EU after its metropolis left the European Union on Brexit. Two years later it still hasn’t been accomplished and this has created a lot of nerves.
A phone call made to Pedro Sánchez this Thursday, at the request of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was learned by surprise. According to statements from both governments, the two showed agreement on the importance of closing an agreement on the British colony’s relationship with the European Union after Brexit “as soon as possible”.
However, the situation does not appear to have changed significantly. After the meeting, Minister José Manuel Albares reminded once again that Spain had already made its proposal and that it was the United Kingdom that needed to act. “We can be a little more optimistic today than before that phone call,” said the head of Spanish diplomacy. “The ball is now in England and Every day that passes without signing this agreement is a wasted day. to create that shared prosperity zone. “We would sign for the Spanish government today,” he said. that is, the “elimination of physical barriers” and the extension of the Schengen area to Gibraltar.
But all parties are operating on a diabolical schedule: There are general elections this year in both Spain and Gibraltar. And from July, Pedro Sánchez will chair the European Council. Referenced sources see It is difficult to get out during the EU presidency., because it wouldn’t be aesthetically pleasing for Spain to lead a 27 deal to which it is a party. David Steel, the UK’s governor of Gibraltar, said in a recent interview with the colony’s television that he expects this to happen in “early summer” with Rishi Sunak in attendance.