He believes that there are still two more rounds to go and confirms that "there are concrete proposals on the table"

MADRID, 17 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, has assured that the United Kingdom and the EU are "one step away from a historic treaty" on the future relationship of the Rock with the bloc and has confirmed that both parties are close to

"We are one step away from a historic treaty," he assured this Monday before the Gibraltarian Parliament, stressing that if he reaches this agreement "it will create an opportunity for our greater economic development and the greater economic development of the region that surrounds us, and perhaps even beyond, reaching the other side of the strait".

After recalling that there have already been eight rounds of negotiations, the last one last week in London, Picardo pointed out that it will probably take "two more rounds of formal negotiations, at least". "The first is likely to take place in early June if the parties agree on the right dates," he said.

As he explained, the negotiation is currently progressing "at a good pace." "We can see the outlines of the final agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU that will later become a treaty text," she said, specifying that "there are concrete proposals on the table."

"We are reaching the point of being able to point out legally secure solutions on the different parts of each of the most important aspects," he clarified. "I believe that we are now close to being able to start the consolidated drafting of the treaty in the coming weeks," he added, in line with what was stated last week by the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares.

Of course, he stressed, "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and at this point we cannot yet say that we have agreed on any text" but "we are simply fine-tuning the principles in detail."

Both parties had initially given themselves until the end of 2021 to close the agreement, which will regulate Gibraltar's relationship with the EU now that the United Kingdom is not a member state, but given the impossibility of fulfilling it, they set the first quarter of the year as a goal , a term that has also already expired.

Picardo acknowledged that "the areas that have remained more open in principle refer to aspects of the mobility of people and aspects of the mobility of goods", although "the main question" is the first.

In accordance with the agreement of December 31, 2020 between Spain and the United Kingdom, which has served as the basis for this negotiation, "Spain will have responsibility for Schengen controls when people enter Schengen through the points of entry in Gibraltar" although "at least for the first four years, it will carry out these checks with the help of Frontex".

The question, he added, "is how to do it in a safe and acceptable way for Gibraltar, the United Kingdom, Spain and the EU from day one" hence "the place and the way to carry out the Schengen controls has been a key question throughout the negotiation.

"That means working to agree in detail where the relevant staff will be located, what they will do and who they will do it to," explained the chief minister, stressing that the key "is that there will be no such controls at the border between us and Spain."

Finally, I emphasize once again that "Gibraltar's future is exclusively British". "Nothing in the negotiations has called this into question or questioned any of the basic principles of British sovereignty over Gibraltar," he asserted, specifying that "nothing is being asked of us that could call into question that objective of ours."