The UK and the European Union have finally struck a deal over the status of Gibraltar in the hope of speeding up their Brexit negotiations.
Discussions over the rules governing the border between the British Overseas Territory and Spain have been a sticking point since Britain left the bloc in 2020.
The UK government said the agreement would avoid the need for checks on people and goods crossing the Gibraltar-Spain border, an outcome the former has lobbied for for years as it claimed that border crossings had become more onerous since Brexit.
This new deal will see Gibraltar effectively join the EU’s Schengen passport-free area, which will result in smoother crossings for the approximately 15,000 people who commute across its borders daily.
A “bespoke goods and customs model for products entering Gibraltar across its land border” will also be in place, the UK government said, which will “avoid the the need for onerous checks” on goods.
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič described the agreement on Wednesday as a “truly historic milestone” that would remove “all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods” crossing the border while bringing legal certainty.
St Pancras-style checks
As part of the new deal, there will be dual border control checks for arrivals by air at Gibraltar airport, carried out by both Gibraltar and Spanish officials, as well as arrivals by sea at the port.
Spanish officials will be responsible for “ensuring the integrity of the Schengen Area, in a model similar to French police operating in London’s St Pancras station”, the UK government said.
The British Overseas Territory also made some concessions on taxation, particularly on its famously low tobacco levies, with the “tax convergence process” ensuring “everyone is treated fairly”.
Foreign secretary David Lammy, who flew to Gibraltar on Tuesday night for last-minute talks before heading to Brussels to finalise negotiations with the EU, said the “breakthrough” agreement protected British sovereignty and supported Gibraltar’s economy.
The UK has had sovereignty over Gibraltar since 1713, which Spain has historically disputed, claiming the territory – a 2.6 square mile headland to its south – as their own.
Gibraltar residents can currently cross the Spanish border into the EU using residence cards, without having to stamp their passports. Meanwhile, Spanish naturals can travel to Gibraltar by using their government-issued ID card.
However, there were concerns this model would end with the implementation of the EU’s Entry/Exit system later this year – which will require visitors from outside the bloc to register fingerprints, a photo, and passport details – making commuting a lot harder and causing huge delays at the border.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer agreed in a Wednesday evening phone call that the deal “unlocks significant opportunities to strengthen UK-Spain relations”.
With the issue now addressed, the UK government also claimed the deal unpicked “the last major unresolved issue from Brexit”.
Ministers from across the Channel are keen to address any sticking points of their post-Brexit negotiations as they hash out a ‘reset’ deal that will reduce red tape and improve UK-EU trade relations, which soured during the Boris Johnson government.
Last month, London and Brussels agreed to implement a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement – also known as a vet deal – which would align food safety and biosecurity rules and ditch the need for costly controls on goods crossing the Channel.
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