EU, UK sign agreement on Gibraltar after 4 years of negotiations

The EU and the UK signed an agreement on Gibraltar on Tuesday, completing the legal framework governing relations following the latter's withdrawal from the bloc.

The agreement, which will enter into provisional application on July 15, is the outcome of more than four years of negotiations and aims to provide legal certainty and promote economic prosperity across the Gibraltar region, according to a statement.

Gibraltar was not included in the scope of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed in 2020 and effective since 2021.

According to the European Commission, the newly signed agreement seeks to strengthen cooperation between Gibraltar and Spanish authorities while ensuring the protection of the Schengen area, the EU Single Market and the bloc's Customs Union.

The commission said the agreement is designed to support the well-being of people across the region and foster closer, more constructive relations between the parties involved.