Gibraltar and Campo stakeholders seek clarity on post-Brexit agreement 

Uncertainty about the detail of the UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar and its practical implications for communities on either side of the border was at the centre of a discussion in La Linea on Wednesday that underlined cross-frontier hunger for information on a process described as “opaque”. 

The panel discussion in La Linea’s Teatro Paseo de la Velada was organised by the Grupo Joly and explored the potential socioeconomic impact of a treaty, the legal text of which is still being finalised. 

While there was consensus that a treaty was better than a ‘no deal’ outcome for both Gibraltar and the Campo, there was common ground too that citizens and businesses alike were flying blind as to the detail of a treaty that would impact them directly. 

The panellists included Jesús Verdú, the director general of Cadiz University’s Bahía de Algeciras campus; Gibraltar lawyer Charles Gomez, who is also a professor of international law at Cadiz University; Manuel Triano, Campo general secretary of Spanish union Comisiones Obreras; and Manuel Cózar, chairman of the Transport and Logistics Commission of the Confederation of Employers of the Campo de Gibraltar. The discussion was moderated by Javier Chaparro, the editor of Europa Sur newspaper. 

Ahead of the discussion, La Linea mayor Juan Franco welcomed guests and offered his thoughts on the treaty, which he welcomed while underlining the need for clarity and detail. 

He said that while the treaty was an international agreement between the UK and the EU, it would have significant practical impacts at grassroots level that had to be properly understood and addressed. 

Mr Franco singled out one impact that was already being noted in La Linea, where property prices have increased sharply, a trend he said risked “pushing out” La Linea residents with lower purchasing power. 

There are currently around 1000 homes under construction in La Linea, including 600 in Alcaidesa. 

But while is positive news for the city at one level, it is overshadowed by rising costs, with the lowest prices in Alcaidesa starting at 400,000 euros, and prices in the city centre reaching 3,000 euros per square metre. 

Mr Franco also expressed concern about the ratification process of the treaty and what would happen if there was a change of government in Spain. 

“Within this overall analysis, I will always defend the special, exceptional and unique position of the city of La Línea in this context,” he said, adding that even Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs had recognised La Linea as “the municipality most affected by Brexit in the whole of continental Europe”. 

Mr Gomez voiced concern that aspects of the treaty that sought to create a level playing field between the Campo and Gibraltar in areas such as duties on goods could end up “dismantling” an economic model rooted in arbitrage, adding that this would be a problem. 

And he noted that while many businesses were faced with uncertainty and little detail, that was not the case for everyone, citing by way of example talk of Gibraltar tapping opportunities in artificial intelligence through construction of a huge data centre. 

“Clearly there are some sectors who think there are opportunities to be had from all of this,” he said. 

But he was clear on the need for more information and said the absence of it showed “a lack of respect” for citizens. 

For Mr Cózar, businesses in the Campo and Gibraltar shared a lot in common but needed clarity as to what the future would bring. 

“What we have is a lot of ambiguity but no one who can give us the clarity that we need,” he said. 

Reflecting on how Gibraltar would dovetail with EU rules, Prof Verdu said that even within the EU there were discrepancies between different member states in the application of rules and laws. 

“What’s needed is political will to find a good fit,” he said, adding that a framework between Gibraltar and the Campo was needed too to ensure the smooth implementation of what was agreed and “to resolve practical issues” that will arise. 

He noted too that the Strait of Gibraltar was a “key geostrategic region” and that a row over Gibraltar could not be an obstacle to stronger relations between the UK and the EU at a time of conflict in Ukraine and threats in the Sahel region of north Africa. 

For his part, Mr Triano reflected on the importance of ensuring the rights and interests of cross-border workers were fully protected within the treaty, even while accepting it would “not be a panacea” and there would be teething problems at the outset. 

But he was clear too that a ‘no deal’ outcome would have been “devastating” for Gibraltar and the Campo. 

“We think the agreement is positive, but we have to wait to see the detail,” he said.