Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Spain was ready to sign an agreement on the status of Gibraltar after Brexit on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Albares said he spoke by phone with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Monday. The two politicians agreed to meet in Brussels to continue discussions on the status of Gibraltar. Albares said in a Tuesday interview with Spanish TV station Telecinco:
Spain put on the table, several months ago, a balanced and generous agreement.
He said he was due to fly to Brussels later on Tuesday, adding:
Spain wants this agreement to be signed tomorrow.
The status of Gibraltar, an enclave on the southern tip of Spain that has been under British rule since the 18th century, and the way the border with Spain is policed has been the subject of controversy since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016. The enclave was excluded from the withdrawal agreement between Britain and the EU.
The EU, Britain and Spain agreed on 31 December 2020, hours before Britain’s full withdrawal from the bloc, that Gibraltar would remain part of EU agreements such as the Schengen area and Spain would control the port and airport pending a long-term solution.
The European Commission and Spain have sent Britain a proposal that includes keeping Gibraltar’s land border with Spain open at the end of 2022 and allowing free movement of people. Spain ceded the rocky outpost at the mouth of the Mediterranean to Britain in 1713 but has long demanded its return.
