BRITAIN and the EU officially signed a landmark treaty on Gibraltar’s status on Tuesday, ending years of political uncertainty surrounding the territory.
The historic four-way ceremony in Brussels brought together EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, UK minister Stephen Doughty, Spain’s Jose Manuel Albares, and Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo.
Hours earlier, the Gibraltarian leader had shared an emotionally charged photograph on social media ahead of the signing.
The image, which showed him looking towards the territory’s iconic promontory, was meaningfully captioned: “The time has come…”
Under the landmark agreement, Gibraltar residents can now cross into Spain using residence cards alone, avoiding passport stamps, while Spanish visitors may enter using official government ID cards.
Travellers arriving at Gibraltar Airport, meanwhile, will face dual passport checks by Gibraltar and Spanish border officers.
The system mirrors the one used at London’s St Pancras Station, where French officers conduct Schengen checks for Eurostar passengers.
The signing comes as Gibraltar officials work around the clock to dismantle the Rock’s border barriers, which are set to fully disappear tomorrow (Wednesday, July 15).
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