EU and United Kingdom Sign Agreement for Free Movement between Spain and Gibraltar

In Brussels, on 30 July 2026, the European Union and the United Kingdom signed an agreement that abolishes border controls and enables the free movement of people and goods between Spain and the territory of Gibraltar, which is under British control.

The agreement was signed by European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič and the United Kingdom's Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, and was attended by the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo.

The text removes all physical barriers and routine checks on the land border between Gibraltar and Spain and foresees steps for closer alignment of the territory with the Schengen Area and the European Union's Single Market, while clearly preserving British sovereignty over Gibraltar, at London's request.

What Will Change on the Ground

From tomorrow, at the border crossing between Gibraltar and the Spanish town of La Línea — which is crossed by thousands of people every day — there will no longer be routine document checks, which will simplify daily crossings and the transport of goods.

Gibraltar is a small territory with a population of nearly 40,000 residents. Around 15,000 Spanish workers enter Gibraltar every day — a figure that represents almost half of the territory's workforce.

The agreement between London and Brussels was reached in June of last year after years of difficult negotiations in which Spain also participated. Border controls were introduced following the Brexit referendum in 2016 and after the United Kingdom's exit from the EU. A visit to Gibraltar by the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, is scheduled for tomorrow. Gibraltar has been under British control since 1713, according to the Treaty of Utrecht, and is a British Overseas Territory on the Spanish coast, with its other sides bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Photo: press material from the event