Today, the European Commission and the United Kingdom have signed the EU-UK Agreement in respect of Gibraltar.
This Agreement, which will enter into provisional application on 15 July 2026, is the result of more than four years of negotiations and completes the legal framework of the relations between the EU and the United Kingdom following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU.
Gibraltar is not included in the scope of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement , signed in 2020 and in force since 2021.
The main objective of this Agreement is to secure the future prosperity of the whole region. It will bring confidence and legal certainty to the lives and well-being of the people of the whole region.
It will promote shared prosperity and closer and more constructive relations between the Gibraltar and Spanish authorities, while fully safeguarding Schengen, the EU's Single Market and its Customs Union.
Next steps
Following the adoption of the proposal for the signing and provisional application of the EU-UK Agreement by the Council on 1 July, the Agreement was submitted to the European Parliament for its consent, in accordance with the EU treaties.
Once the Parliament's consent is obtained, the Council can proceed with the adoption of its decision on conclusion of the Agreement.
Background
Following a political agreement on key principles of the EU-UK Agreement in June 2025 between Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares with UK Foreign secretary Lammy and Gibraltar Chief Minister Picardo, the Commission adopted its proposals on the signing, provisional application and conclusion of the EU-UK Agreement in respect of Gibraltar in February this year.
