Gibraltar deal to join Schengen is ‘99pc done'
A deal that will see Gibraltar enter the Schengen zone is close to being struck, the Rock's first minister has said.
Fabian Picardo vowed Britain and Spain 'will get there' on the proposed agreement, under which Gibraltar will join the passport-free area and keep its border with Spain open.
Depending on the final deal, British citizens travelling to Gibraltar may have to show their passports to Spanish or EU border guards at the airport.
Mr Picardo's comments come the day after José Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister, warned Sir Keir Starmer that his 'reset' with the EU must include a deal on Gibraltar.
'There are many, many things that we have to talk [about], Gibraltar included,' Mr Albares said in an interview on BBC's Newsnight. 'So I would like to see a global deal on everything to make sure that the relationship is as smooth as possible.'
Mr Albares has said that Spain is committed to reaching a deal on Gibraltar and is willing to park but not fully renounce its historical sovereignty claim over the Rock.
Sources in the British Overseas Territory also told The Telegraph on Monday, ahead of a UK-EU summit in London, there was significant movement in negotiations that began in 2017.
Mr Picardo told Times Radio that he could now see the end of talks over the Rock.
'I think we can now see the finish post. I've said before, we're 99 per cent of the way there. I said, we're within kissing distance,' Mr Picardo said.
Mr Picardo added the plan was to make Gibraltar an associate member of the EU's passport-free Schengen zone, which encompasses 29 European countries, and which would allow the free flow of people between the Rock and Spain.
This would allow some 15,000 Spanish workers to continue crossing the border every day, and Gibraltarians to regain the freedom of movement 'we used to enjoy as European citizens'.
The plan has long been to move the border to Gibraltar's sole airport, which is close to the land crossing, with European border guards from Frontex, an EU agency, carrying out passport controls on all arrivals.
But the talks have repeatedly stalled over sensitive sovereignty issues including Madrid's wish for Spanish border police to operate security checks at Gibraltar's airport and sea port.
Gibraltar rejects the presence of Spanish security forces on its territory, amid concerns about the integrity of the RAF base at Gibraltar airport.
Concerns have also been raised that Frontex border guards could be able to turn British travellers away from Gibraltar, even if those visitors had been waved through by Gibraltarian officials.
Mr Picardo admitted he had expressed optimism about a deal several times during negotiations that have stretched over four years and involved the UK, Gibraltar, Spain and the European Commission. He has previously said the two sides were in 'kissing distance' of a deal.
'If there were 1,000 issues that we have had to deal with in the context of what has been a very nuanced negotiation, we are down to the last handful of issues to be resolved,' the first minister said on Tuesday.
Since Brexit, the border has been kept open thanks to both sides turning a blind eye to the rules.
Spain generally allows Gibraltarian residents to enter its territory without passport checks, but it has said this cannot continue indefinitely. In return the Rock allows Spanish workers to enter the territory without passport stamps.
Sometime this year the EU is expected to introduce its much-delayed electronic Entry Exit System, including at the border with Gibraltar.
This will mean all people entering Spain will be subject to passport and biometric data checks, risking long queues at a crossing that is vital for prosperity on both sides of the border.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'This Government inherited a situation from the last government which left Gibraltar's economy and way of life under threat.
'In the negotiations we have continued from the last government to resolve this, we have been clear that we will only agree a deal that maintains British sovereignty over Gibraltar and has the full backing of Gibraltar's chief minister, Fabian Picardo.'
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