On 31 December 2020, a framework for a UK/EU Treaty on
Gibraltar's future relationship with the EU was proposed,
cited as the New Year's Eve ‘In-Principle'
Agreement (the “Agreement”). If
ratified, this post-Brexit deal (the
“Treaty”) for Gibraltar will address,
among other things, the issue of unrestricted mobility of persons
and goods between Gibraltar and the Schengen Area.
The next step will be a political instrument that will outline
the basic understandings of the UK and Spain, in conjunction with
Gibraltar, on the future relationship between Gibraltar, Spain, and
the EU. These understandings will form the basis of the Treaty,
which will remain in place for an initial four-year period. The
Agreement stipulates that the process will only go ahead with
permission from the UK and Gibraltar. As with Article 50, Gibraltar
retains the right to withdraw this permission at any time and
thereby end the Treaty.
