The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has confirmed that within the framework of the «global proposal» that has been sent to the United Kingdom for the future agreement with the EU on Gibraltar, the deployment of Frontex together with the Spanish Police to carry out border controls on entry to the Schengen area for an initial period of four years is maintained.
Albares and his British counterpart, James Cleverly, have appeared at a joint press conference in Madrid to stage the «political will» of both governments that the agreement that will govern the future relationship of Gibraltar with the EU after Brexit can be closed as soon as possible but have avoided talking about deadlines, although the minister acknowledged that the current situation can not be maintained «forever».
Without wanting to go into detail regarding the pitfalls that remain to be overcome, Cleverly has recognized that «one of the issues that remain to be resolved» is precisely that of the presence of Spanish security forces on the Rock, since the agreement on the table proposes the abolition of the fence and that Gibraltar remains within the Schengen area without borders.
In this regard, Albares recalled that in the framework of the agreement sealed by Madrid and London on December 31, 2020 it was agreed that since Spain, as a member of Schengen, would be responsible for ensuring the standards of this space should assume the controls at the port and airport of the Rock, but would have the support of the European border agency Frontex for a transitional period of four years.
«This will be respected», he stressed, while also ratifying that the fence will be removed and that there will be a shared use of the airport.
