The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, concludes his first visit to the Campo de Gibraltar in which, over the two days, a busy schedule saw Albares explain the progress made before the last leg of negotiations on Gibraltar that are being held despite the electoral call in the United Kingdom.
The minister began his visit to the region with a meeting in Algeciras, with the mayors of Campo de Gibraltar and the Junta de Andalucía. He continued his visit the following day in La Línea de la Concepción and met with the mayor, Juan Franco. He also held a meeting with the Cross-Border Group to address their demands for the last leg of negotiations concerning the relationship with Gibraltar, and travelled to Los Barrios to reiterate his commitment to defend labour rights in a meeting with representatives of the Association of Spanish Workers in Gibraltar (ASCTEG).
In the first stage of his visit, Albares, together with the mayors, representatives of the Central Administration in Campo de Gibraltar and the Minister of the Presidency of the Government of Andalusia, fulfilled his commitment to visit the area because “ultimately, it is the well-being of the Andalusians of Campo de Gibraltar that gives meaning to all our negotiations towards achieving this agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union, the United Kingdom and Spain, concerning Gibraltar.”
With the same commitment that turns the spotlight on the citizens of Campo de Gibraltar, the Minister for Foreign Affairs also wanted to travel to La Línea de la Concepción, which he described as “probably the European municipality most affected by Brexit.”
Albares held a meeting with the local mayor, Juan Franco, whom he reminded that both the municipality and the inhabitants and residents of La Línea de la Concepción serve as a compass to guide negotiations to help Spain achieve the best possible agreement with the United Kingdom thatwill turn the region into an area of shared prosperity.
In these negotiations, the Cross-Border Group, which includes, among others, the Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Employers of Cádiz and the trade unions, is a key group for the development of this area of shared prosperity. Therefore, Albares chose to include it in his busy schedule of meetings on his first official visit to the region.
Cross-border workers
The Association of Spanish Workers in Gibraltar (ASCTEG), whose representatives he visited in the town of Los Barrios and to whom he reiterated the Government's commitment to defend the rights of cross-border workers, is also key. The minister took the opportunity to discuss their main demands for the last leg of negotiations, during which their status has always been defended by the group of Spanish experts responsible for outlining the parameters of the future agreement.
These meetings are taking place not even a month after the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation chaired two working meetings on the progress of the negotiations on Gibraltar with municipal and regional authorities, and with social and economic agents in the region, respectively, on 13 May in Madrid.
The meetings honour the commitment made by the minister to keep all parties promptly informed, “because I believe that this is also the duty of institutional loyalty that I have as Minister for Foreign Affairs and because I believe that dialogue, listening and exchanging points of view is the most effective way of working and achieving the best agreement for all Andalusians in the Campo de Gibraltar,” Albares said.
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