The European Union and the U.K. have reached an agreement to ease cross-border travel and trade in Gibraltar after years of post-Brexit wrangling over the contested territory. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič called the deal “a truly historic milestone (that) benefits everyone and reinforces a new chapter in the relationship.”
The deal would involve removing all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods circulating between Spain and Gibraltar, the EU said in a statement. At the same time, it would respect Europe’s free travel zone rules and the EU single market.
A major sticking point has been who controls Gibraltar’s airport. The U.K. and Gibraltar had resisted Spain’s insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base.
Checks would now be done much like they are for the Eurostar train stations in London and Paris. Šefčovič said that dual Gibraltar and EU checks would be carried out at Gibraltar’s airport and port.
An agreement was also reached for visas and travel permits. The U.K. said that half Gibraltar’s population crosses the border each day and that without an agreement, new EU entry-exit rules mean everyone would have to have their passports checked.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Albares said the deal marked “a new beginning” in the relationship between the U.K. and Spain.
He 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.
Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. Talks on a deal to ensure people and goods can keep flowing over the Gibraltar-Spain border previously had made only halting progress.
In Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory on Spain’s southern tip depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants.
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