The European Commission has adopted proposals for the signature and provisional application, as well as conclusion of an agreement in respect of Gibraltar between the EU and the United Kingdom.
The main objective of the EU-UK agreement in respect of Gibraltar is to secure the future prosperity of the whole region. This says the European Commission 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.
“Our goal has been clear and strategic: to secure long-term prosperity for the region, while fully safeguarding Schengen, the EU Single Market and our Customs Union”, said Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic: “With 15,000 people crossing daily between Gibraltar and Spain, this is about legal certainty, confidence for businesses and people as well as a cooperative future that reinforces our mutual relationship.”
The agreement will bring confidence and legal certainty to the lives and well-being of the people of the whole region, says the Commission, by promoting shared prosperity and close and constructive relations between the Gibraltar and Spanish authorities.
The EU-UK deal in respect of Gibraltar is the last element that will complete the legal framework of the relations between the EU and the United Kingdom after Brexit.
Gibraltar is not included in the scope of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 2020 and is in force since 2021. Following a political agreement on key principles reached in June 2025 between Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic and Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, with UK Foreign secretary Lammy and Gibraltar Chief Minister Picardo, the negotiating teams finalised the legal text in December.
The proposals will now be transmitted to the EU Council. The Council will proceed with the necessary steps leading to signature and conclusion of the agreement. The European Parliament will need to give its consent, in accordance with the EU treaties.
Joint statement on the negotiations for an EU-UK Agreement in respect of Gibraltar
