In anticipation of the full opening of the border scheduled for early February 1985, thirty-six Spanish and Gibraltarian officials met on 10 and 11 January for preparatory talks to discuss practical matters relating to the re-establishment of communications, such as police control, customs, work permits and telecommunications.

The Gibraltar delegation was led by the Deputy Governor, John Broadley, while the Spanish group was headed by Francisco José Mayans, special adviser to the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, and both sides included representatives of several ministries concerned. The first day's meetings were held in La Línea, while on the second day they were held in Gibraltar itself, the first time that Spanish officials had come to the Rock since 1969.

Tact was very much in evidence in order to avoid any friction. The participants spoke in their own language and their contribution was then translated into the language of their interlocutors, despite the fact that practically all of the participants could speak both languages. For the first day's talks the Gibraltarians actually replaced one of their translators, a British subject who technically was not yet allowed to cross the border. The atmosphere in the talks was friendly, no doubt due to the fact that they were dealing with practical matters rather than political issues. The outcome was the publication in Madrid on 18 January of detailed regulations about the movement of people, goods and vehicles across the border. This augured well for the full opening of the border and for the Geneva meeting between the two Foreign Ministers to implement the Brussels Declaration, both of which had been set for 5 February.