The call by environmentalists to be recognised and heard by the Trilateral Forum is one that should not fall on deaf ears.

Despite the difficulties that can lie in the path of such efforts - including the diplomatic reference to the Bay (we say Gibraltar they say Algeciras) - it is only when there is a grass roots call like this call that cuts through political baggage, that the important issues can really be moved forward.

This is a timely demand with Gibraltar having hosted the low key technical / officials only encounters yesterday and Monday ahead of what are expected to be formal technical talks in July which would include the Chief Minister Peter Caruana. Ministerial talks are pencilled in for the autumn.

There is much to talk about and progress on. The Trilateral task list produced last July was huge and the steps have been slowed by issues such as economic priorities and elections in UK.

The protocols for ensuring safety in the waters around us are vital given the consistent incidents which have shown just how close to disaster we can get in both environmental and human terms.

Collisions at sea can be reduced.

The process may be slow but it very important to Gibraltar.

The air terminal also has yet to see movement on the Spanish side but, to illustrate just how complex and sensitive things can get, the Chronicle understands that just weeks ago when a crane on the Gibraltar side was to be set up to work on the north face of the Gibraltar Air Terminal, it ended operating in a constricted way because Spain, though happy to agree, insisted that formal application would have to be made from London to Madrid to formalise the fact that the arm would be swinging over Spanish airspace.

Las cosas de palacio…