The European Union announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with the United Kingdom and Spain regarding the status of Gibraltar, marking the end of five years of complex negotiations that followed Brexit.
The agreement will ensure the continued movement of people and goods across the border between Gibraltar and Spain, and is seen as part of the UK’s broader effort to ‘reset’ its relations with the EU. ALSO READ: EU and UK ‘reset’ post-Brexit relations with new agreements at mini-summit.
Although the UK formally exited the EU in 2020, the specific terms concerning Gibraltar — a strategically significant British military base situated at the entrance to the Mediterranean — had remained unresolved.
Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations concerning the Rock, as it is popularly referred to in English, have had their ups and downs over the centuries.
In Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants.
Progress in the post-Brexit talks, which involved the UK, Spain, the EU and Gibraltar, had been slow under the former Conservative government. However, momentum picked up after the Labour Party assumed office last year.
‘A truly historic milestone: an EU-UK political agreement on the future relationship concerning Gibraltar. This benefits everyone and reinforces a new chapter in the relationship,’ said EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on X.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also welcomed the development, stating, ‘Today’s breakthrough delivers a practical solution after years of uncertainty.’
He further noted, ‘Alongside the government of Gibraltar, we have a reached an agreement which protects British sovereignty, supports Gibraltar’s economy and allows businesses to plan for the long-term once again.’
Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, expressed his approval of the agreement, saying he was ‘delighted’ with a deal that ensures ‘legal certainty to the people of Gibraltar, its businesses and to those across the region who rely on stability at the frontier’.
He stressed that the agreement ‘will protect future generations of British Gibraltarians and does not in any way affect our British sovereignty’.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, posted on X (see below): ‘The agreement reached today by the EU Commission, Spain and the United Kingdom delegation regarding Gibraltar structures a new model of co-existence. For the well-being of the 300,000 Andalusians in Campo de Gibraltar and the 15,000 people who travel there every day.’
Albares said that Spain ‘will guarantee free movement of people and goods’, adding that Gibraltar would now be linked to Europe’s free travel zone known as the Schengen Area with Spanish authorities controlling entry and exit.
Key points of agreement
The deal, which must be ratified by parliaments in both Spain and the UK, will remove all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods moving between Spain and Gibraltar, the EU said in a statement.
In order to preserve the EU’s free travel zone and borderless single market for goods, entry and exit checks will instead be conducted at Gibraltar’s airport and port by both UK and Spanish border officials. The arrangement is similar to that in place at Eurostar train stations in London and Paris, where both British and French officials check passports.
In the area of persons, the EU statement says: ‘The Parties agreed to establish dual Gibraltar and Schengen border checks at Gibraltar port and airport – to 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 many thousands of people who travel across daily in both directions. For the EU, full Schengen checks will be carried out by Spain. For the UK, full Gibraltar checks will continue to be carried out as they are today. They also agreed arrangements for visas and permits and close cooperation between the police and law enforcement authorities.’
In the area of goods, the EU statement says: ‘The Parties agreed on the principles underpinning the future customs union between the EU and Gibraltar, providing for strong cooperation between the respective customs authorities and removing checks on goods. There is also agreement on the principles of indirect taxation to be applied in Gibraltar, including on tobacco – that will avoid distortions and contribute to the prosperity of the whole region.’
The UK and Gibraltar had previously resisted Spain’s insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base.
An agreement was also reached Wednesday for visas and travel permits.
The UK said that half Gibraltar’s population crosses the border each day and that without an agreement, new EU entry-exit rules mean every one would have to have their passports checked.
The UK said the agreement ‘does not impact sovereignty’ and ensures ‘full operational autonomy of the UK’s military facilities in Gibraltar’.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, however, noted that Spain maintains its claim of sovereignty over Gibraltar.
‘After three centuries of no progress, the EU, the United Kingdom and Spain have reached a comprehensive agreement that benefits citizens and our bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. All this without renouncing Spanish claims to the isthmus and the return of Gibraltar,’ he said on X (see below).
Main image: Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares (left), with Maros Sefcovic, David Lammy and Fabian Picardo.
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Hoy es un gran día para el Campo de Gibraltar.
Después de tres siglos sin avances, la UE, Reino Unido y España cerramos un acuerdo global en beneficio de los ciudadanos y de nuestra relación bilateral con el Reino Unido.
Todo sin renunciar a las reclamaciones españolas sobre el… https://t.co/sqYcDRP8hj
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) June 11, 2025
El acuerdo que hemos alcanzado hoy la UE, con la Comisión y España, y la delegación de Reino Unido en relación a Gibraltar estructura un nuevo modelo de convivencia.
Por el bienestar de los 300.000 andaluces del Campo de Gibraltar y las 15.000 personas que se desplazan cada día. pic.twitter.com/o86oMglkVe
— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) June 11, 2025
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