The Spanish Foreign Secretary, Snr Jose Manuel Albares yesterday hosted the Chief Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilities at the Viana Palace in Madrid. 

A statement from the Government follows below:

The Spanish Foreign Secretary, Snr Jose Manuel Albares today hosted the Chief Minister of HM Government of Gibraltar, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilities at the Viana Palace in Madrid. Snr Albares was accompanied by Snr Carlos Moreno Blanco, Secretary General for the European Union. 

The Chief Minister was accompanied by the Minister for Business, Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez MP and the Attorney General, Michael Llamas CMG KC. 

The meeting addressed action points for the timely provisional application of the UK/EU Agreement in relation to Gibraltar as from the 15th July. 

The Chief Minister said: ‘The meeting with Minister Albares was a cordial opportunity to reflect on the start the process of working together to deliver on our respective obligations under the Agreement that we have both championed. That includes the process of removal of all physical barriers between Gibraltar and Spain that will commence ahead of the 15th July to ensure that Gibraltar is in full compliance with the obligations set out under the Treaty. That will enable all the benefits of the Treaty to be brought into effect on those days also. There is a lot more we also need to do and meetings of this nature should soon become the norm as we deliver the positive results on the ground for people in Gibraltar and the Campo. I am very grateful to Jose Manuel and his team for their hospitality and continued cooperation.’