A time for confidence and optimism

The name Ben Dance will mean nothing to most people in Gibraltar, but in the tsunami of information and opinion that followed the political agreement announced on Wednesday, his was the clearest vision of what had been achieved.

Mr Dance is the official photographer at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

An image he took in Brussels on Wednesday accompanied articles in multiple media outlets and its powerful message cut through the noise.

In the photograph, we can see UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, European trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic, Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo clutching hands and grinning in front of an EU flag.

There is no need to explain the significance of having Mr Albares and Mr Picardo together in the same picture. Spain may still struggle to publicly recognise Gibraltar as an interlocutor, but facts speak louder than words and images more so.

And while the story that day was about Gibraltar, the photograph also underlined the new wider relationship between the UK and the EU after Brexit, and its vital importance at a time of great geopolitical flux.

Here we had Mr Sefcovic - who on Wednesday was not focused on Gibraltar, but rather on an earlier meeting that day about a trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the global powerhouse that is India – standing alongside Mr Lammy, whose government is finding ways to rebuild and strengthen the UK’s relationship with the EU after the damaging exercise that was Brexit, even while respecting the outcome of a democratic vote that many Leavers now regret.

The photo wasn’t engineered.

The four had purposely posed in front of the EU flag, that much is obvious. But according to someone who was in the room at the time, what might otherwise have been a staid family snapshot was transformed when Mr Sefcovic suggested they hold hands.

The others jumped at the prompt and what emerged was an image full of spontaneity that encapsulated the essence of what was announced on Wednesday after four years of tortuous negotiation.

The real test, of course, will be translating that sentiment into a binding treaty text. Yet there is reason to be upbeat.

For nine years, Gibraltar has navigated the turbulent waters of its post-Brexit reality and at each stage has come through, often emerging in a stronger position than before.

The bilateral agreement on UK market access, for example, gives Gibraltar an edge that has already created massive opportunity and will continue doing so.

The shock of Brexit and the drama of the Covid period showed too that, despite political flare-ups rooted in history, Gibraltar and Spain could work together to address practical matters for the benefit of citizens on either side of the border.

Nothing has changed on the contentious issue of sovereignty. Spain still has its aspirations, and we our unshakeable red lines.

But who would have thought a decade ago that our politicians and theirs would be able to sit at the same table, let alone agree on anything?

From the outset, a focus on people is what kept negotiators going.

For Gibraltar, the negotiation was led by a very small team whose tireless dedication to the task is acknowledged even by the Gibraltar Government’s strongest critics.
They worked in partnership with the UK Government, which deployed significant resources and bandwidth to our situation irrespective of who was in office at No.10 Downing Street, and despite the many other challenges and crises that transpired during this period.

The same commitment to reaching agreement was evident on the Spanish side and in the European Commission, not just in terms of time and resources but in goodwill too.

It has often been stated but is worth repeating that, were it not for the interim measures put in place at the border by Spain, Gibraltar and the Campo would have faced the reality of a hard Brexit a long time ago.

That would have poisoned the mood on the street and made any agreement even harder to reach. In that respect, the Policia Nacional inspector who unilaterally tightened immigration screws a few months ago did us all a favour by putting a spotlight on what a hard border meant in practice.

Keith Azopardi, the Leader of the Opposition, understandably remained cautious this week, reserving his judgement until the final treaty text is published and the minutiae can be pored over with a legal toothcomb.

But he was right too to welcome the political agreement and the opportunity it could represent, conscious that Gibraltar’s Brexit dilemma required a solution and that every negotiation involves give and take.

In the UK, even Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch resisted a knee-jerk attack on Labour and was reassured by the fact the Gibraltar Government had championed the deal and participated fully in bringing it about.

It was left to the usual arch-Brexiteers and Eurosceptics to bang the tired drum of British empire and complain about perceived dilutions of sovereignty while ignoring the obvious fact it was their decisions that led us to where we are.

As the detail of this agreement becomes clearer, there will no doubt be aspects we do not like. Mr Picardo has acknowledged this already, warning that some the language in the treaty text will make for uncomfortable reading.

We must also carefully consider and address the legitimate concerns of those who feel Gibraltar will be negatively impacted by what is being agreed.

But as we digest the implications going forward it is important too that we engage mind over heart, keeping an eye on the bigger picture and not getting swayed by inevitable noise.

The negotiation on Gibraltar did not unfold in a vacuum and three of the four people pictured by the FCDO’s Mr Dance have far bigger challenges to worry about, many of which affect us directly too.

Top of that list is security in a world filled with conflict and crisis.

A key element of the UK/EU reset announced some weeks ago is closer cooperation on defence and defence procurement amid concern Russian aggression could spill beyond Ukraine’s borders. The developments in Iran on Friday show just how volatile and dangerous the world has become.

The political agreement announced this week lays the groundwork for a treaty that will hopefully change Gibraltar’s relationship with its closest neighbour and the wider EU for the better, potentially turning the page on over 300 years of often stormy history.

It will take time to assimilate the ramifications of that change and embrace the opportunities it could present. The Brexit uncertainty hasn’t lifted fully just yet and there will be difficult moments ahead.

And yet, without drifting into hyperbole, the image captured by Mr Dance signals acknowledgement by Gibraltar, Spain, the UK and the EU of geography’s demands and the value of constructive cross-border ties.

At a time when much of the world is drifting into populist isolationism, the antidote is to look outward and build strong partnerships that are mutually beneficial.

We must remain clear-eyed about both opportunity and risk but continue moving forward with confidence and optimism.