The European Commission (EC) on Sunday said it was ready to extend talks with the United Kingdom on a deal on Gibraltar’s colony, in violation of the Easter deadline set by Brexit.
“We will continue to work towards an agreement,” European Commissioner Margaritas Shinas said in the southern Spanish city of Al Jazeera in the Cambodia-Gibraltar region: “Negotiations continue.”
In his 30 years of experience in European politics, he has said he never wanted to set “non-negotiable dates or deadlines”.
Gibraltar – Spain demands its sovereignty – is not included in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached between London and Brussels by the end of 2020, so a separate agreement on the future of the British colony with the EU is needed.
The rounds of talks have taken place since last October, when the European Union issued the mandate to begin negotiations, taking into account the New Year’s agreement reached between Spain and the United Kingdom on 31 December 2020. Among other issues, the removal of the border fence and the British colony becoming part of the Schengen area, Spain is guaranteed because the United Kingdom is not part of this European unrestricted transport zone.
Shinaz announced that “the European Commission is fully aware of the importance of this agreement for Spain, its region, Andalusia and Europe” and that it is “in permanent contact” with Spanish authorities in the development of these talks. Still going on ”.
As for Morocco, he denied that “political relations have much to do with the flow of immigrants and the flow of travelers” and added: “In Europe, we never want to see any kind of instrumentation of immigration.”
Shinas called for the involvement of all neighboring countries “including Morocco on the basis of trust”. In this sense, he believes, “the new structure of relations between Spain and Morocco has improved significantly and will have an impact on relations with Europe.” Spain recently backed Morocco’s proposal for an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara.
Relations between the two countries have been in crisis since Brahim Gali, leader of the Policario Front, which calls for full independence for the former Spanish province of North Africa, was hospitalized in Spain in April 2021.
The Vice President of the European Commission today visited the Civil Guard Command in Al Jazeera, one of the Spanish security forces, where he was welcomed by its Director General Maria Camus. “Spain is doing an impressive job here in support of a security union for all,” he stressed. “The South (EU) is one of the most vulnerable to security pressures and challenges.”
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