\n EU and UK finalise Gibraltar treaty ending border fence.
\nPhoto Credit: Ben Dance \/ FCDO flickr <\/p>\n
AFTER nearly four years of negotiations, representatives from the European Union and the United Kingdom have finalised the text of the Treaty on Gibraltar, which would put an end to the historic Fence of Gibraltar and the text is now under legal review. The Treaty of Gibraltar<\/a> was announced six months ago on June 11, 2025 and is set to come into effect in early 2026.<\/p>\n Treaty on Gibraltar text finally completed after months of discussion<\/p>\n After negotiating teams were locked in a complex discussion for months since the announcement of the agreement in June, the completion of the legal text was finally reached on Friday, December 12, and confirmed by the European Commission on Wednesday, December 17. The legal text outlines the new terms of the relationship between the EU and Gibraltar following Brexit, and needs to be reviewed by the governing bodies of both the European Union and the United Kingdom before it can proceed with the signing and conclusion of the agreement.<\/p>\n The agreement was finally reached between Commissioner Maro\u0161 \u0160ef\u010dovi\u010d and Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares with the UK side consisting of then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Chief Minister Picardo.<\/p>\n Most Read on Euro Weekly News<\/p>\n What the agreement entails: Putting the people of Gibraltar at the forefront<\/p>\n The agreement between the EU and the UK would establish Gibraltar\u2019s post-Brexit relationship with the bloc, and abolish the 1.2-kilometre Fence of Gibraltar, a physical border put up by the United Kingdom in 1909 that marked the political and legal status of Gibraltar, and was a symbol of the sovereignty dispute. The Fence of Gibraltar had previously been a signal of Spain\u2019s acceptance of Gibraltar\u2019s continued British sovereignty.<\/p>\n The agreement also includes provisions on indirect taxation, including for tobacco, labour rights, state aid, environmental protections, trade, sustainable development, anti-money laundering and transportation.<\/p>\n In addition, all border controls between Gibraltar and the Spanish town of La L\u00ednea de la Concepci\u00f3n will be removed, including for goods. Instead, according to the officials in June when the Treaty on Gibraltar was announced, dual border checks will be carried out at Gibraltar\u2019s airport and port by Gibraltar and Schengen authorities in full cooperation.<\/p>\n In short, the agreement will:<\/b><\/p>\n Agreement aims to \u2018benefit\u2019 people on both sides and \u2018guarantee prosperity\u2019<\/p>\n According to a spokesperson, the main objective of the agreement is to \u201cguarantee the prosperity\u201d of the region and that this can be achieved by \u201celiminating all physical barriers,\u201d encouraging free movement of people and goods between Spain and Gibraltar, while still preserving the Schengen area, the EU Single Market, and Customs Union.\u00a0<\/p>\n An estimated 15,000 people cross the Gibraltar border every day for business or leisure reasons. \u201cThis agreement clearly benefits the people on both sides of the border,\u201d \u0160ef\u010dovi\u010d had said when the agreement was announced in June. \u201cIt improves the legal framework for businesses and strengthens the regional economy.\u201d<\/p>\n The government of Gibraltar<\/a> has also stated it welcomed the \u201cpositive conclusion\u201d of the negotiation of the text.<\/p>\n Text under legal review, could take several weeks<\/p>\n A legal review of the text will be completed by both Brussels and London, and the Treaty will need to be translated into all the official languages of the European Union before it is submitted to the governments of the EU countries and the European Parliament debates the text and votes for its consent. It is not yet clear how long the legal review would take, nor when the legal text will be available publicly, but normally, the process of a legal review of this kind takes several weeks to complete.<\/p>\n The main objective of the text, according to representatives, is to \u201csecure the future prosperity of the whole region.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more news from Spain here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n