EU, UK sign Gibraltar status treaty easing border checks

Britain ⁠and the ​European Union formally signed on Tuesday a ​treaty on the status of Gibraltar, following an agreement struck last year aimed at easing ​border crossings ‌and ending years ⁠of political uncertainty over the British overseas territory.

The treaty ‌was signed in Brussels by European ⁠Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, British Minister of State for Europe Stephen Doughty, Spanish ​foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno ‌and Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo.

Gibraltar residents can cross over to Spain using ‌residence cards without needing to have their passports stamped, ​while Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card.

Those arriving at Gibraltar airport ​will show their passports to both Gibraltar ​and Spanish border officers, ​and Britain wants a system similar to French police ​operating at the London St Pancras railway station for the Eurostar service.

Britain won Gibraltar – a strategically important enclave at the southern ⁠tip of Spain – in the 1713 Treaty of ⁠Utrecht ​which ended the War of Spanish Succession.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)