Overview
- EU ambassadors, meeting Wednesday in Brussels, gave unanimous political approval to the EU–UK Gibraltar treaty and set July 15 for provisional application.
- The text still needs legal and linguistic review, translation into all EU languages, and formal adoption by the Council and European Parliament, and the UK must complete its own parliamentary process.
- The EU Entry/Exit System, a digital register that replaces passport stamps at external borders, takes full effect on April 10, which would treat Gibraltar as a third‑country crossing until the treaty applies.
- Spain has asked the European Commission for temporary flexibility on applying that system at Gibraltar, and the Commission confirmed it received the request and will reply in due course.
- The agreement foresees removing the Verja, ending routine frontier checks for people and goods, and running dual controls at Gibraltar’s port and airport, with local leaders seeking clearer guidance on operations and environmental responsibilities that affect some 300,000 residents in the Campo de Gibraltar.