Latest news with #Picardo
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Lammy holding talks on post-Brexit deal for Gibraltar
Talks on rules governing the border of Spain and Gibraltar have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020, but an agreement has not yet been reached. A Foreign Office source said: 'We're working to secure an agreement that works for the people and businesses in Gibraltar. 'An agreement that will protect British sovereignty, supports Gibraltar's economy and allows businesses to plan for the future.' Ministers have insisted no deal will be done without the full support of Gibraltar's government. Mr Lammy held talks with chief minister Fabian Picardo in Gibraltar along with the UK's overseas territories minister Stephen Doughty. Today, with @DavidLammy and @SDoughtyMP we held a Cabinet meeting in No6 Convent Place to agree final parameters for negotiation. We will now travel to Brussels to meet @MarosSefcovic and @jmalbares. It's time to try to finalise arrangements for lasting, stable relationship… — Fabian Picardo (@FabianPicardo) June 11, 2025 The ministers and Mr Picardo then travelled to Brussels for talks with the EU and Spanish representatives. In a post on X on Wednesday morning, Mr Picardo said it is 'time to try to finalise arrangements for lasting, stable relationship between Gibraltar and the EU/Spain which is safe, secure and beneficial'. Gibraltar was ceded to the UK by Spain in 1713 and the population is heavily in favour of remaining a British overseas territory. The last time it voted on a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, in 2002, almost 99% of Gibraltarians rejected the move. Gibraltar also hosts an RAF base at its airport and an important naval facility. The Government, in line with its Conservative predecessors, has said it will not sign up to a deal that gives sovereignty over Gibraltar to another country, or that the Gibraltarian government is not content with. The strategic defence review, released earlier this month, said the UK would maintain a military presence in Gibraltar, 'upholding the sovereignty of British Gibraltar territorial waters'.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Mint
09-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
TSX extends weekly winning streak as commodity prices climb
TSX ends up 0.4% at 25,357.74 For the week, the index advances 1.3% Materials sector rises 2.8% as gold rallies Air Canada jumps 14.6% after earnings report (Updates at market close) May 9 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index added to its weekly gain on Friday, led by energy and metal mining shares, as hopes that trade tensions could ease offset evidence that tariff-related uncertainty is already weighing on domestic activity. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended up 103.68 points, or 0.4%, at 25,357.74, its highest closing level since February 28. For the week, the index advanced 1.3, its fifth straight weekly gain. "The TSX is proving to be quite resilient," said Elvis Picardo, a portfolio manager at Luft Financial, iA Private Wealth. "Investors are still factoring in the best case scenario, hoping that the trade war blows over and if things get much worse then the Bank of Canada comes to the rescue with rate cuts, but I think that might be misguided optimism." The Canadian unemployment rate rose to 6.9% in April, the highest level since November, as U.S. tariffs started to hurt Canada's export-dependent economy. Investors see a 67% chance that the BoC would resume its interest rate cutting campaign next month, up from 46% before the jobs report. "It's going to take a while for that (trade) uncertainty to dissipate," Picardo said. The materials sector, which includes metal mining shares, rose 2.8% as gold and copper prices climbed. Oil also rose, settling 3.2% higher at $59.91 a barrel. Energy added 2%, while real estate was up 0.5% as long-term borrowing costs fell. The Canadian 10-year yield eased 4.5 basis points to 3.159%. Shares of Air Canada jumped 14.6% after the airline reported a smaller than expected quarterly loss and said it would purchase and cancel up to C$500 million ($358.96 million) in shares by the end of next month. Telus Corp was another standout. The communications technology firm's shares rose 7.1% after quarterly results beat estimates. The technology sector was down 1.5%. ($1 = 1.3929 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto and Sanchayaita Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
Local Spain
30-01-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Gibraltar's Brexit talks stalled by Spain's focus on Rock's airport
Gibraltar's never-ending negotiations for a post-Brexit treaty may have hit another road bump, with the airport reportedly proving to be a major problem. As The Local has reported, the Gibraltarian government has for months claimed that a deal is imminent. Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, stated in his New Year address that treaty negotiations were 'very, very close to a deal' and that finally finishing them was one of his objectives for 2025. When the Labour government was elected in the UK last summer, there were positive words from new Foreign Secretary David Lammy about resetting relations with Europe and getting on with Gibraltar's treaty negotiations, but with little impact so far. However, Picardo has also admitted that some aspects of the negotiations are of such 'great technical complexity' that 'there can be derivatives of sovereignty in some details.' IN DEPTH: Should Gibraltar be British or Spanish? The Independent might tell us why. Journalist Sarah Sands suggests that negotiations, and with them, perhaps any realistic prospect of a deal, are being hampered by disputes over the airport and sovereignty of the thin strip of land where it sits. "An EU source tells me that Spain is focused on the airport, which it claims is not in Gibraltar territory as established in the Treaty of Utrecht," the report states. This could explain Picardo's allusion to "derivatives of sovereignty in some details.' When he announced last April that Gibraltar, the UK, Spain and the EU had agreed on all the "general policy lines" of an agreement, the Chief Minister referred to the "airport, goods and mobility" and made no mention of any tension on the airport. The airport, whether it be whose border force is on the ground, or even contesting sovereignty of the land where it's located, has long been an issue and is sure to be a major sticking point in any treaty. If Spain has now decided that the airport's sovereignty is at stake, it could also partially explain Gibraltar's Deputy First Minister Joseph García's recent comment that "one of the parties is taking a step back on something to which it had previously agreed." Gibraltar's airport is located on the isthmus (a thin strip of land that connects two territories) between Gibraltar and Spain. Spain has long claimed that this section of land is occupied, and that, although the Treaty of Utrecht ceded Gibraltar to the British in 1713, the UK has since expanded beyond the territory outlined in the treaty. According to a statement from the Spanish Foreign Ministry: 'Spain has always stressed that the occupation of the isthmus is illegal and contrary to international law and, therefore, has always demanded its unconditional return. Spain does not recognise the occupation of the isthmus or the fence as a border.' Crucially, this isthmus contains Gibraltar airport. If the airport is located on a piece of land where sovereignty is contested, finding a resolution to the issue seems very difficult, if not near impossible. It also presents practical problems in any treaty, especially on the issue of policing the Schengen border. The hypothetical transfer of the airport into Spanish hands, in whatever form that could take, would be unthinkable for both Gibraltar and the UK, while Spanish 'boots on the ground' has been a red line for both throughout the negotiations. Ceding control of the airport, or even the isthmus, would be rejected outright on the Rock, and also likely politically unpalatable in London, regardless of whether Labour or the Conservatives are in government. That the Starmer government has received significant political backlash for the recent Chagos Islands deal, characterised as a surrender of British sovereignty by the right-leaning press, makes this more unlikely still. Five years into formal negotiations, it seems the Brexit buzzword of sovereignty is still delaying Gibraltar's treaty. This follows recent reports in the Spanish press that Málaga airport is becoming an 'irregular gateway" to enter the Schengen area for passengers travelling from Gibraltar. This was reported by Europa Sur, citing complaints by senior police sources at the border with the Rock. The issue stems from several passengers on flights scheduled to depart from Gibraltar who, due to adverse weather conditions, were rerouted by airlines to Málaga in order to lower costs, but then disappeared, breaking Schengen entry rules.
