Spain says it’s “very close” to agreeing a deal on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar.
The country’s foreign minister made the statement after meeting Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron in Brussels at a NATO meeting.
“Today we have made progress, because David Cameron has shown a willingness to reach an agreement,” Jose Manuel Albares told reporters.
“We are very, very close,” he added, in comments broadcast by Spain’s TVE.
Mr Albares said the pair were discussing details such as how both sides would use the island’s airport.
In a call with Mr Albares on Monday, Lord Cameron reiterated Britain’s commitment to conclude a deal on Gibraltar “as soon as possible”, said a Foreign Office spokesperson.
The question of how to police Gibraltar’s border with Spain long term has been undecided since Brexit.
A last-minute deal on 31 December 2020 meant Gibraltar stayed part of EU agreements, such as the Schengen Area, and left Spain to police the port and airport until another solution could be worked out.
Lord Cameron met his counterpart at a Brussels meeting of NATO foreign ministers
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Spain’s foreign minister said he hoped an agreement could be signed as early as Wednesday after his country recently tabled “a balanced and generous agreement”.
In late 2022, the European Commission and Spain proposed keeping Gibraltar’s land border to Spain open and ensuring the free flow of people.
The narrow peninsula – known colloquially as ‘The Rock’ – has been a British territory since 1713, but Spain has long called for it to be handed back.
