Gibraltar is close to entering the Schengen free movement zone, according to its chief minister. This post-Brexit deal would take the British Overseas Territory into the European Union’s passport-free travel area, around nine years after the British electorate first voted against continuing free movement to the United Kingdom.
Fabian Picardo described negotiations on the future of the territory, which began in 2017, as “99% done,” making their completion within “kissing distance,” adding that the negotiators were now “down to the last handful of issues to be resolved.”
Once complete, the process would permit the free movement of people between the Rock and Spain. At present, around 15,000 Spanish workers cross the border every day. The process has been complicated by UK citizens, including majorities in England and Wales, voting for Brexit in 2016—unlike almost 96% of voters in Gibraltar.
Since the Labour government came to power last summer—gaining a large share of MPs on a low voter turnout—concern has grown that it aims to reverse Brexit through a series of compromises presented as a “reset” of relations with the EU.
