EU and U.K. reach accord on cross-border trade and travel in Gibraltar

BRUSSELS — The European Union and the U.K. have reached an agreement to ease cross-border trade and travel in Gibraltar after years of post-Brexit wrangling over the contested territory, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said Wednesday.

In a post on social media, Šefčovič praised the deal as “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.”

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.

The British government said the agreement “resolves the last major unresolved issue from Brexit,” while Spanish Foreign Minister José Albares said that “a deal regarding Gibraltar is now a reality,” calling it historic.

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.

The statement said the pact “will bring confidence and legal certainty to the lives and well-being of the people of the whole region by promoting shared prosperity and close and constructive relations between the Gibraltar and Spanish authorities.”

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 Wednesday for visas and travel permits.

The U.K. said that half of 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.

The British government hailed the deal as a win in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s attempt to reset relations with the EU, five years after the U.K.’s acrimonious departure from the bloc.

The U.K. said the agreement “does not impact sovereignty” and ensures “full operational autonomy of the U.K.’s military facilities in Gibraltar.”

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 controling entry and exit.

“It’s going to benefit overwhelmingly the 15,000 people who move every day from Gibraltar to Campo del Gibraltar,” Albares said, referring to the area neighboring Gibraltar in southern Spain.

Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also hailed the agreement and said it “will bring legal certainty to the people of Gibraltar, its businesses and to those across the region who rely on stability at the frontier.”

Cook, Lawless and Naishadham write for the Associated Press. Lawless reported from London and Naishadham from Madrid, Spain.