On Wednesday 11 June, in Brussels, European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, the British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, sealed a “historic agreement” on free movement between the EU and the United Kingdom concerning Gibraltar.
This agreement, presented by Maroš Šefčovič and José Manuel Albares, will remove all physical barriers, checks and controls on persons and goods circulating between Spain and the British territory of Gibraltar, while preserving the Schengen area, the EU single market and the customs union.
“This will bring confidence and legal certainty to the lives and well-being of the people of the whole region”, says a joint statement.
In the area of people, the parties have agreed to introduce dual Gibraltar and Schengen border checks at Gibraltar port and airport, which will be carried out in full cooperation between the EU and UK/Gibraltar authorities, removing all checks at the crossing point between Gibraltar and La Linea for the thousands of people who travel across daily in both directions.
For the EU, full Schengen checks will be carried out by Spain. For the United Kingdom, full Gibraltar checks will continue to be carried out with no change to the current situation.
The two parties also agreed on visa and permit arrangements and close cooperation between police and judicial authorities.
With regard to goods, they also agreed the principles of the future customs union between the EU and Gibraltar and those of indirect taxation to be applied in Gibraltar, including on tobacco.
The agreement also covers level playing field commitments in the areas of State aid, taxation, labour, the environment, trade and sustainable development, anti-money laundering, and transport, including airports, the rights of frontier workers and social security coordination.
At the end of 2020, Spain and the UK reached an in extremis framework agreement to maintain the free movement of people and goods across the border between Spain and the ‘Rock’, according to AFP (see EUROPE 12805/3).
Nearly 15,000 people, most of them Spaniards, cross the border every day to get to this British territory and work there. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)