Gib, UK and Spain continue treaty discussions in Malaga

The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia were in Malaga on Monday for treaty discussions with officials from the UK and Spain, ahead of the next formal round with the EU.

Also present at the meeting was Attorney General Michael Llamas.

“The formation of continuity Governments of the same political colours returned to office in Gibraltar and in Spain, after general elections in both places, has facilitated the continuation of the discussions from where they left off,” No.6 Convent Place said.

“This renewed contact is expected to continue between different parties and at different levels in the days and weeks ahead.”

No date has been announced yet for the next UK/EU round of negotiation.

In a separate development, the Spanish Government again said it was “fully committed” to reaching a treaty on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relations with the bloc.

The message came in a parliamentary response to questions from the Partido Popular asking for an update on the negotiation and how Madrid would protect Spanish workers in Gibraltar.

“The Government of Spain asserts that the post-Brexit negotiations on Gibraltar between the European Commission and the Government of the United Kingdom should culminate in an agreement that allows for the creation of a shared prosperity zone in Campo de Gibraltar,” the Spanish Government said in the response.

“The rights of Spaniards working in the colony are protected by the Protocol on Gibraltar of the Withdrawal Agreement of the United Kingdom from the European Union.”

“The Spanish Government is fully committed to ensuring that the negotiations conclude with a satisfactory agreement.”