EU, UK Sign Post-Brexit Gibraltar Treaty

Britain and the European Union signed a treaty on Gibraltar's status in Brussels on Tuesday. Building on last year's political agreement, it is intended to ease the movement of people and goods across the border with Spain, ending years of uncertainty following Brexit.

The treaty was signed by European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic, British Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

Under the deal, Gibraltar residents will be able to enter Spain using only a residence card, without having their passports stamped. Spanish citizens will need only a national ID card to enter Gibraltar. The agreement is expected to simplify daily border crossings for about 15,000 commuters.

At Gibraltar Airport, passengers will show passports to both Gibraltar and Spanish border officials under a system similar to that used for Eurostar passengers at London's St Pancras Station.

Albares described the treaty as the start of a new chapter in relations between Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and the EU. Residents of Gibraltar and the neighboring Spanish region hope it will make daily life and cross-border cooperation easier.

(Reuters, Lud)