![[FILE] Spanish road leading to the Rock of Gibraltar. EFE/Manuel Barriopedro/nr](https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rss-efed3cfbfc544276427819072073fbd8555a1f98d3bw.webp?fit=1920%2C1249&ssl=1)
Brussels, Apr 1 (EFE).- The Council of the European Union, representing the governments of the bloc’s 27 member states, on Wednesday approved the texts of the agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom on Gibraltar, along with decisions for its signature and provisional application starting July 15.
«The Committee of Permanent Representatives agreed today the texts of the agreement and decisions of signature and provisional application of the Agreement between the EU and the UK in respect of Gibraltar,» the council said in a statement.
Following the endorsement by EU ambassadors, the text will be formally adopted once legal and linguistic reviews are completed, the council said in a statement.
The agreement could be provisionally applied from July 15, instead of the previously expected April 10 date.
«The texts will be formally adopted as soon as the checks of the Council lawyer-linguists are concluded. The Agreement is expected to enter into provisional application on 15 July 2026.»
The agreement on Gibraltar will complete the legal framework governing EU-UK relations established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement following Brexit, the council said.
It also noted that Gibraltar is not covered by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed in 2020 and in force since 2021.
The main objective of the EU-UK agreement is to ensure the future prosperity of the entire region by removing physical barriers to the free movement of people and goods between Spain and Gibraltar.
At the same time, the agreement seeks to safeguard the Schengen area, the EU single market, and the customs union, according to the Council.
Cypriot Ambassador to the EU Christina Rafti, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the council, described the deal as «a milestone in EU-UK relations that paves the way for a stronger, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking partnership.»
«This agreement will be beneficial for the people in the region and for the EU as a whole,» she added. EFE
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