In a press release issued on Tuesday 17 February, the European Commission announced that it had adopted its proposals for the signature, provisional application and conclusion of an agreement on Gibraltar between the European Union and the United Kingdom.
“The EU-UK deal in respect of Gibraltar will complete the legal framework of the relations between the EU and the United Kingdom established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Gibraltar is not included in the scope of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2020 and in force since 2021”, the Commission points out.
The main objective of the EU-UK Gibraltar Agreement “is to secure the future prosperity of the whole region. This objective will be reached by removing all physical barriers on persons and goods circulating between Spain and Gibraltar, while fully safeguarding Schengen, the EU’s single market, and its Customs Union”.
The proposals, published next week, will be forwarded to the EU Council. European Parliament will have to give its approval.
Following a political agreement on key principles reached in June 2025 between Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares, with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo (see EUROPE 13657/16), the negotiating teams finalised the legal text last December.
Regarding people, the parties agreed on 10 June to establish dual border controls - Gibraltar and Schengen - at the port and airport of Gibraltar. These controls will be carried out in full cooperation between EU and UK/Gibraltar authorities, thereby eliminating all checks at the crossing point between Gibraltar and La Linea for the thousands of people crossing 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.
Concerning goods, 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, have been agreed.
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 cross-border workers and social security coordination.
Nearly 15,000 people, most of them Spaniards, cross the border daily to get to this British territory for work. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)