The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, told Parliament that the UK\/EU treaty on Gibraltar was a \u201ctriumph of geography over ideology\u201d, contrasting Gibraltar\u2019s need for \u201cbridges\u201d and \u201cfluidity and access\u201d with the ideological approach he said drove Brexit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Its provisions on dual immigration controls and fluidity would remove the queues of the past, when the border had been \u201cat the mercy of the political leadership in Madrid\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn removing the controls which have led to the delays, this treaty will deliver greater certainty to the lives of citizens on both sides,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On trade, Dr Garcia acknowledged that customs changes would mean some sectors would require support to adapt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he said \u2018no deal\u2019 would have required \u201ca more radical adjustment\u201d, adding \u201cthere can be little doubt\u201d access to the EU market would create new opportunities for business.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plain truth is that in any case, we simply cannot continue as we are,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Garcia told Parliament that the motion calling on the UK to ratify the UK\/EU treaty on Gibraltar was \u201chistoric\u201d in its process and substance and would \u201cmark the start of a new era\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said MPs were being asked to grant or withhold consent to the treaty\u2019s ratification, describing a two-step process involving approval in Gibraltar followed by ratification in the UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said this route underlined the constitutional role of Parliament and how far Gibraltar had come since the 2006 Constitution, adding that the final say on matters impacting Gibraltar \u201cmust rest with this House\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Garcia stressed there was \u201cno change in status\u201d, saying Gibraltar would remain an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom and that the treaty did not alter this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He told MPs the treaty was between the UK and the European Union, not Spain, and said the UK would formally sign, ratify and adopt it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he added the legal position did not reflect the \u201cpractical reality\u201d, because the UK had negotiated with Gibraltar\u2019s \u201cfull involvement\u201d, on Gibraltar\u2019s behalf and with its consent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said this working relationship would be reflected in a concordat between London and Gibraltar, which would provide further reassurance, and noted that a concordat had formed part of the architecture of the Withdrawal Agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said implementation would ultimately rest in Gibraltar, with its Parliament and institutions giving effect to the treaty\u2019s provisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Garcia told Parliament that Gibraltar\u2019s British sovereignty was safe under the treaty, adding that it contains \u201cthe toughest and most solid sovereignty safeguarding clause I have ever seen\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Government would never ask the UK to ratify a treaty unless satisfied that it was safe, secure and beneficial for Gibraltar,\u201d he told Parliament.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has been our guiding principle throughout the negotiations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And he later added: \u201cThat sovereignty is not diminished by pragmatic arrangements designed to make life function.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, the very exercise of having entered into the treaty, and the ability to terminate it in the future, is in itself a powerful demonstration of British sovereignty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a trade and mobility deal with the European Union.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is about Gibraltar\u2019s future relationship with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it does not conflict with our continued and enduring British sovereignty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Garcia reminded Parliament that Gibraltar voted to remain in the EU while the UK voted to leave and said it had been an achievement to bring UK successive governments to understand Gibraltar\u2019s position.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Garcia said Gibraltar ministers and officials had been present \u201cat every level\u201d in negotiations since the 2016 Brexit referendum.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, told Parliament that the UK\/EU treaty on Gibraltar was a \u201ctriumph…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5226],"tags":[802,748,2000,299,5187,1699,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-809297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brexit","8":"tag-brexit","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-european","13":"tag-european-union","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116185875321034284","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}