Tripartite Talks
The Tripartite Talks, a three way dialogue between Gibraltar, Spain and the United Kingdom, has paved the way for the implementation of sensible initiatives in order to foster mutual co-operation and the economic development of Gibraltar and its hinterland.
We have to travel back to the 1980s in order to appreciate how much circumstances have changed in Gibraltar’s favour and how these led to the forum under which the Tripartite Talks are held.
The Lisbon Agreement of 1980 was an effort between Spain and the United to table the Gibraltar question and bilaterally find a solution to it. Co-operation with Gibraltar was mooted. Spain reaffirmed her position about territorial integrity. The United Kingdom maintained its commitment to honour the wishes of the people of Gibraltar.
The Brussels Agreement of 1984 was more of the same. The bilateral agreement, among other things, hinted at “the establishment of a negotiating process aimed at overcoming all the differences between them over Gibraltar and at promoting cooperation on a mutually beneficial basis on economic, cultural, touristic, aviation, military and environmental matters.”
Neither the Lisbon Agreement nor the Brussels Agreement prospered.
The Joint Sovereignty proposals were rejected in referendum by a resolute majority and the proposals were kicked into the long grass.
However, Gibraltar was still not on safe ground. The rejection of the Joint Sovereignty proposals created a political vacuum which could easily have been filled by reversing to the position prior to the proposals and perpetuating bilateralism between Spain and the United Kingdom.
Spain and the United Kingdom realised that ignoring the affected party, Gibraltar, in any talks which involved its future, were doomed to failure.
The United Kingdom suggested that Gibraltar could attend talks under the “two flags, three voices” formula. Gibraltar would attend as part of the British delegation. But this never materialised.
Gibraltar’s constitutional development was caught up in the Joint Sovereignty proposals fiasco.
Talks with the United Kingdom were resumed and Gibraltar achieved a new Constitution in 2006. The new Constitution is a recognition by the United Kingdom of Gibraltar’s political maturity. The Government of Gibraltar is now responsible for all affairs with the exception of defence and foreign relations.
One of the important features of the new Constitution is that the United Kingdom’s commitment to honour the wishes of the people is preserved. Furthermore, the United Kingdom will not be able to engage in talks about Gibraltar’s sovereignty without approval from the Gibraltar Government.
It was the trilateral forum that saw the light of day and Gibraltar and its hinterland are the ones reaping its fruits. The forum is held in an open agenda basis, whereby Gibraltar, Spain and the United Kingdom have equal standing, that is, each party has its own voice and participate on the same basis. All three parties have to agree to reach an agreement.
The first agreement of its kind was announced in September 2006. This addressed the Spanish pensioners that worked in Gibraltar prior to the border’s closure by Spain in the 1960s, recognition of Gibraltar’s telephone code (+350), the flow of traffic at the border and the use of the Gibraltar airport.
Subsequent meetings under the trilateral forum have taken place and further agreements are in the offing on areas such as environmental disasters, financial services, judicial, customs and police cooperation, education, maritime communications and safety and visa related issues.
Gibraltar’s recent political past in respect of the sovereignty issue has been quite a roller coaster. However, Gibraltar has always managed to steer away from choppy waters.
Through the trilateral process, Gibraltar finds itself in an enviable position. On one hand, it can safely promote co-operation with Spain for mutual benefit, and on the other, it can defend and protect its interests.
It is good to talk.