UK reaffirms commitment to Gibraltar’s ‘continued security and prosperity’ in withdrawal process

The UK Government on Wednesday again reaffirmed its commitment to providing “continued security and prosperity to Gibraltar and the region” through implementation of provisions in the Gibraltar Protocol of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office underlined its position in a “unilateral statement” issued after the second meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Specialised Committee on implementation of the Protocol on Gibraltar, co-chaired by officials from the UK Government and European Commission.

The Government of Gibraltar was represented by the Attorney General of Gibraltar, Michael Llamas.

The committee was established by the Withdrawal Agreement to facilitate the application and implementation of the Protocol on Gibraltar.

In the statement, the FCDO said the UK and EU exchanged updates on progress against the key elements of the Protocol, including citizens’ rights, environmental matters, police and customs cooperation and fiscal matters.

“Significant progress has been made throughout the year towards fulfilling the commitments outlined in the Protocol and the MOUs,” the UK statement said.

“Cooperation between UK Government / HM Government of Gibraltar and Spain has been fostered by regular meetings of the MOU coordinating committees.”

“Common goals have been established, notably on citizens’ rights where considerable progress has been made towards fulfilling the provisions outlined in the Protocol.”

“The UK is committed to ensuring the implementation of the Protocol to provide continued security and prosperity to Gibraltar and the region.”

“Today’s discussions in no way affect UK sovereignty over Gibraltar, which remains unchanged.”

A spokesman for the Gibraltar Government acknowledged the statement from the UK and the outline of Wednesday’s discussions within the Specialised Committee.

“This is a demonstration of the processes in the Withdrawal Agreement working well and as they should,” the spokesman said.