Gibraltar’s links with UK remain ‘solid and unbreakable’

By Dr Joseph Garcia, Deputy Chief Minister

2024 will be a year of many challenges. Not least those posed by the work which continues to progress for the conclusion of a treaty which will govern our future relationship with the European Union, and with our closest EU neighbour Spain. The coming weeks are expected to be crunch time here.

DEADLINES

It is true that there have already been numerous self-imposed deadlines in the past which have come and gone. However, the European Parliament is set to dissolve itself with a view to new elections in June, and effectively a caretaker Commission will be in place until a new one takes office in the autumn. All this means that the negotiations cannot continue forever. Time is running out and 2024 will, at some point, see Gibraltar reach a fork in the road.

UNKNOWN

This period will therefore be marked by a choice in the direction of travel. On one path, we agree a way forward protected by a treaty, and if we follow the other we settle down to the hard reality of life without one. Neither of those routes will be plain sailing and both will involve taking a step into a new environment. But either way we must not be scared of the changes that 2024 will have in store. Gibraltar and its people have overcome many such core transitions in the past and we have emerged stronger than before on each and every occasion.

SOVEREIGNTY

The overriding consideration in the conclusion of a treaty will be that there is no crossing of our red lines on sovereignty and jurisdiction. Both Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and I have made clear that this is never going to happen. There will be no treaty otherwise. Indeed, the United Kingdom too has said that it will continue to remain firm on the question of sovereignty. So if we manage to conclude a treaty, you can rest assured that it will be safe, secure and beneficial for us all. We will simply not support it if it does not meet this criteria.

HISTORIC

Having said that, it is true though that a treaty will require a different mind-set on all sides, and a new way of doing things. It is also true that it will not be perfect. No treaty ever is. The four parties involved, Gibraltar, the United Kingdom, Spain and the European Union each had their own views, interests and policies to defend as the detailed negotiations have progressed. The final product that may emerge will obviously be the result of those many different positions thrown into the melting pot. One prize within our grasp is a potential transformation in the relationship with our neighbours away from hundreds of years of conflict and confrontation towards a new one without frontier queues, as a result of a common travel area with the Schengen zone.

MISTRUST

I am conscious that for many of us, none of this will be easy to believe. Spain has for decades, whether dictatorship or democracy, embarked on a deliberate campaign of antagonism and hostility towards Gibraltar and the Gibraltarians. Those periods of coercion have generated a degree of mistrust which cannot simply be airbrushed away in an instant with a signature and a photograph. Trust must be earned and it must be based on actions not words. Respect too must be earned and it must be mutual and voluntary, not one-sided and forced. However, it is easy to forget, though, that Gibraltar finds itself in this position sadly because of the issues generated by the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

NNO

But we must be ready for the alternative also. In the event that Spain makes it impossible for a treaty to be concluded, we will have to adapt to the very different environment that a non negotiated outcome (NNO) would thrust upon us. This picture is explained in the two booklets delivered to thousands of households all over Gibraltar and still available online. It is contained too in over fifty Technical Notices that the Government has issued as well as in our general communications on the subject. We have also set out the consequences in some detail directly to representatives of the private sector. Gibraltar is as prepared as we can be in the areas that we control. The point to make here, however, is that the status quo is not an option. We will not be able to remain as we currently are, cushioned from some of the worst effects of Brexit. The impact on Gibraltar in coming months will either be that of a treaty or that of no treaty at all.

HUMILITY

It is already some ten weeks since the general election. The new GSLP/Liberal government that you elected into office has embarked on the task with renewed energy and enthusiasm, but also with a degree of humility. We have learnt the lessons of 12 October and we will not forget them. The message has been received loud and clear. This means that the real everyday issues which matter to people are at the heart of our agenda, including the implementation of our 2023 manifesto which is the programme that saw us elected into office. The revolutionary constituency system we have pioneered will bring you closer to Ministers by associating each one of us with a geographical part of Gibraltar or with senior citizens. This system will create the most direct and accountable bond between the Government and the public that has ever existed in this country.

REFORM

The Select Committee on Parliamentary Reform, along with the others, has now been populated with MPs and will meet this year. I had a productive informal meeting with the Leader of the Opposition on this subject and my impression is that all sides will want it to work. The objective is for Gibraltar to end up with a parliamentary system that is more open, accountable, modern and democratic. The engagement of the public, including individuals, organisations and associations, will be a key part of that process.

SELF-DETERMINATION

The new year 2024 will mark 320 years since the capture of Gibraltar and the commencement of our evolution as a separate and distinct people. This period of time is longer than large countries like the United States, Germany or Italy have existed. Our resolve to defend our sovereignty and our right to self-determination remains just as resolute in 2024 as it has been for centuries. Indeed, in November it will be 40 years since we faced and later overcame the threat to our sovereignty posed by the now infamous 1984 Brussels agreement. Therefore we will continue to state our case and defend our people at the United Nations, where it is already over 60 years since the first appearance there of our political leaders.

ROYAL VISIT

In May it will be exactly 70 years since our sovereign monarch last visited Gibraltar, when the late Queen Elizabeth II set foot on the Rock, with a very young future King Charles. I had the pleasure of exchanging views with the King during a recent meeting of UK Overseas Territories in London, and his passion for the wider British family including Gibraltar is self-evident. No doubt Gibraltar would welcome a visit from our new King. The many common values and principles that we hold dear, as well as our shared history is part of what binds us together. That bond with the Crown remains as strong today as it has ever been.

CHALLENGES

And so, as we move into 2024, we can take it as a certainty that some things are going to change. But at the same time others, like that bond with the U.K., will remain solid and unbreakable. So we must be confident that whatever a treaty or no treaty may throw at us, we will meet those challenges with the same determination and resolve that we have demonstrated in the past. And we shall do so together, shoulder to shoulder, with the United Kingdom. You can rest assured that your new Government stands ready to deal with whatever the future may hold. We have a proven track record in that respect!

I take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful, healthy and happy new year 2024.