Political agreement reached that will protect British sovereignty, UK military autonomy and secure Gibraltar’s economic future
The UK Government has today [11 June] reached a political agreement with the EU which will secure Gibraltar’s economy, provide certainty for people and businesses in Gibraltar and protect British sovereignty.
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This government inherited a situation which left Gibraltar’s economy and way of life under threat. Gibraltar was not included in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement negotiated by the previous UK government following Brexit. Instead, the previous government began negotiations in 2021 to reach a deal which has remained unresolved until today.
Approximately 15,000 people – over half of Gibraltar’s workforce – cross the land border between Spain and Gibraltar every day. Without a new agreement, the EU’s incoming system of entry and exit controls would have introduced a ‘hard border’ under which every individual passport was checked.
Today’s agreement provides a practical solution to avoid the need for onerous checks and long delays at the border which would have proved ruinous for Gibraltar’s economy – costing hundreds of millions a year and placing pressure on the UK taxpayer for fiscal support, underlining the government’s commitment to economic stability under the Plan for Change.
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The Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, has been central to the negotiations from the start and today’s agreement has his full backing.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:
Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo said:
As the only UK overseas territory which shares a border with the EU, today’s political agreement provides a practical solution for the unique situation faced by the people of Gibraltar whose livelihoods depend on a fluid border.
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Under the agreement, there will be:
The agreement clears the way for finalisation of a UK-EU Treaty Text on Gibraltar, which all parties have committed to complete as quickly as possible.
Background