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The long-awaited agreement governing Gibraltar’s relationship with the European Union after Brexit could begin to be applied provisionally from April 10, according to the Spanish Government.

 

The update came from Brussels, where Secretary of State for the European Union Fernando Sampedro said work is progressing in line with that timeline, although he stopped short of offering full certainty. “We are working towards that date,” he said, while acknowledging that Spain “cannot guarantee” how quickly the remaining procedures within EU institutions will be completed.

 

The agreement, which aims to redefine how Gibraltar and Spain interact following Brexit, is currently moving through the European legislative process. The European Commission has already submitted the legal texts to both the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, where approval from all 27 member states and parliamentary consent will be required.

 

While that ratification process continues, Brussels has opened the door to the deal being applied on a provisional basis, allowing changes to come into effect sooner.

 

A key element of the agreement is the planned removal of the physical border barriers between Gibraltar and Spain. However, this step depends on a detailed implementation plan being finalised between Madrid and London. According to sources at Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, those talks are now at a “very advanced” stage, although no specific completion date has been confirmed.

 

Progress has also been reviewed at the highest levels. European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic met with Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares in Brussels this week to assess how negotiations are advancing.

 

The latest developments suggest momentum is building after months of talks aimed at breaking the post-Brexit deadlock. Recent updates had already pointed to a possible agreement being reached in the spring, with April emerging as a key target for moving forward.

 

At the same time, there has been growing attention on what the deal will mean in practice for people living and working in the Campo de Gibraltar. Local authorities have previously called for clear guarantees to ensure the changes do not negatively affect cross-border workers and the surrounding area.

 

The proposed removal of the border fence remains one of the most symbolic aspects of the agreement. Earlier plans even included marking the dismantling of the physical barrier as a historic moment in relations between Gibraltar and Spain.

 

For now, the focus remains on whether the final administrative steps can be completed in time. If they are, April 10 could mark the beginning of a new phase at one of southern Europe’s most closely watched borders

 

 

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