Talks down to the wire for Spain-Gibraltar border deal

MADRID: Talks on a deal to preserve freedom of movement across the border between Spain and Gibraltar were entering their final hours on Thursday as the midnight Brexit deadline loomed.

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya was due to give a press conference in Madrid during that afternoon, "about the situation of the negotiations", according to a government statement.

Negotiators representing the governments in Madrid, London and Gibraltar have been working around the clock to ensure free movement at the border once the Brexit transition period ends at 2300 GMT.

Although Britain reached a last-minute exit deal with the European Union on Christmas Eve, it does not cover Gibraltar, a tiny British territory on Spain's southern tip which is historically claimed by Madrid.

If no agreement is reached, there are serious concerns that a "hard border" would cause disruption for travellers, and also for businesses on both sides of what will be a new border between Britain and the European Union.

"We have until midnight," a spokesman for the Spanish foreign ministry told AFP, without giving further details. The government of Gibraltar was not immediately available for comment.

The British government had on Wednesday confirmed talks were ongoing to head off problems at the border.

"Although an agreement has not yet been reached, we are continuing our discussions with Spain in order to safeguard Gibraltar's interests, and those of the surrounding region," foreign office minister Wendy Morton said in a statement.

"We are also working closely with the Government of Gibraltar, in discussion with Spain and the EU, to mitigate the effects of the end of the Transition Period on Gibraltar, including at the border."

Two days ago, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said negotiators would work up to the deadline to ensure a deal was in place.

"We will seek this agreement until the last minute," she said, warning that if there was no deal, Gibraltar would be "the only place where a hard Brexit is applied" which would lead to tighter border controls.

Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said on Sunday he was "optimistic" an agreement would be reached.

Around 15,000 people live in Spain and work in Gibraltar, accounting for half of the territory's workforce, centred on the tourism, financial services and online gambling sectors.

The tiny enclave also counts roughly 10 million tourists a year, mainly day-trippers from Spain who visit Gibraltar, drawn in part by duty-free shopping.

Until now, EU residents visiting Gibraltar only needed to show their national identity documents, first to Spanish border police and then to those in the British territory.

But from January 1, they will have to have their passports stamped, and officials say this will cause "queues lasting hours".

The movement of goods between Gibraltar and Spain will also be subject to tighter customs procedures.