Brussels calls for leveraging the momentum from the summit with London for an agreement on Gibraltar: “It’s about time.”

Brussels – The EU’s Trade Commissioner and negotiator with the UK, Maros Sefcovic, has urged his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, to take advantage of the “momentum” from the summit held this Monday in London to finalize an agreement on Gibraltar, whose status regarding the EU has been in limbo for five years due to the lack of agreement since the Brexit breakup.

“The momentum is key, it’s time to get the job done,” Sefcovic stated in a brief message shared on his social media profiles after a bilateral meeting with Lammy, taking advantage of the summit between the EU and the UK, where both parties have sealed the commitment to “restart” relations and establish a new “strategic partnership” for greater cooperation in areas such as defense and security, fishing, cybersecurity, and migration management.

The joint statement resulting from the summit includes the commitment of both parties to fully respect and implement both the Withdrawal Agreement and the subsequent pacts to normalize relations, despite the fact that, according to various sources consulted by Europa Press, the issue of Gibraltar — whose resolution is part of those agreements — remains open and was not part of the preparations for the summit.

Sefcovic, who is also responsible for overseeing the agreement for Northern Ireland on the European side, was part of the delegation that the EU sent to the summit, led by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, to meet with ‘premier’ Keir Starmer and his government.

In this context, Sefcovic expressed satisfaction at being able to hold a bilateral meeting with Lammy to discuss in more detail the files under their competencies and assured that both remain “focused on successfully concluding the talks” on Gibraltar.

Lammy, for his part, stated in a social media message that he is clear that the European Union and the UK must “strengthen” their bilateral relations, although he avoided references to Gibraltar and framed the “new era” of cooperation in areas such as combating hybrid threats from (Russian President, Vladimir) Putin, or the common fight against “cross-border crime.”

Costa sees the agreement “not far off”

The President of the European Council, António Costa, stated this Monday from London that the pact between the European Union and the UK regarding the status of Gibraltar with respect to the bloc is “not far off,” because negotiations are progressing, despite the fact that this issue has been left off the negotiation table of the first summit held by both parties since Brexit.

“My feeling is that we are not very far,” Costa said at the press conference held at the end of the summit alongside the President of the European Commission and the British Prime Minister, who did not comment on this issue.

At one point, Costa had a slip and said that the agreement “is not very close,” which caused laughter and prompted the British ‘premier’ to alert him to the mistake. Starmer then said it was an “important correction: we are very close,” without it being clear whether he was aligning with the European impression that the agreement is near or simply pointing out the misunderstanding to the President of the European Council.

Sefcovic and Lammy are doing a very good job

“Regarding Gibraltar, the British Government and the Commission are talking, negotiating,” Costa indicated, emphasizing that Sefcovic and Lammy “are doing a very good job.”

A summit without references to Gibraltar

The joint statement from the UK and the EU to mark that “a page is turned” since Brexit and a “new chapter” in bilateral relations begins includes the commitment to fully comply with the Withdrawal Agreements and the subsequent framework, although they do not mention the points that, like the case of the Rock, are part of these agreements but remain unresolved.

Various sources consulted by Europa Press in recent weeks have noted that the issue of Gibraltar has been kept “on the sidelines” of the summit, although they assert that negotiations are progressing well at the technical level, despite the fact that no new rounds have been held at the political level since September of last year, nor have concrete advances been reported.

Community sources insist that negotiations on Gibraltar “are still ongoing” and that Brussels is seeking a pact that “provides confidence, legal certainty, and stability” to citizens on both sides of the border, always “preserving the legal positions of all parties and in the joint interest of the region.” (May 19)