[ad_1]
Spain and Great Britain reached an “agreement of principles” on Gibraltar today, world news agencies reported. The news was announced by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, a few hours before Brexit officially became a reality at midnight (tomorrow at 1 p.m. Bulgarian time).
He announced that Gibraltar would become part of the Schengen area for free movement. The final agreement between Madrid and London will be negotiated within six months. Until then, Spain will work with the EU border agency Frontex on the implementation of Schengen rules at the Gibraltar port and airport, BTA reported.
This avoided the danger of a “hard border” between the British enclave at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and Spain, a member of the European Union. As a result, the regime of free movement between them will be maintained. Britain stands firm in its support for Gibraltar and its sovereignty, said British Foreign Secretary Dominique Raab.
Raab reaffirmed the country’s commitment to mitigate the consequences for its enclave of its final exit from the EU. He stressed the importance of maintaining a border-free crossing regime “that is clearly in the best interest of people on both sides of the border.”
About 15,000 people commute from Spain daily to work in Gibraltar, which has a population of 32,000. The port on British soil receives 10 million tourists each year, a sector that accounts for about a quarter of its economy, Reuters notes.
Britain officially left the European Union on January 31. However, until the end of this year there is a transition period during which the EU rules apply to it.
[ad_2]
