Good afternoon.

June 11 marks a historic milestone for the EU, Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar. I am proud to announce the successful meeting with Spanish Minister José Manuel Albares, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Gibraltars Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

We have worked hard on an EU-UK political agreement concerning Gibraltars future relationship.

In my previous meetings with Minister Albares and Secretary Lammy, we acknowledged a clear momentum and agreed it was time to finalize the deal.

Our main goal is to ensure the regions long-term prosperity by eliminating all physical barriers, checks, and controls on movement between Spain and Gibraltar while maintaining the integrity of the Schengen Area, the EU Single Market, and the Customs Union.

This agreement benefits everyone and will provide legal certainty and confidence to individuals and businesses in the region. About 15,000 people cross daily between Gibraltar and Spain.

The agreement reflects a strategic and cooperative approach to strengthen our relations in light of the UKs departure from the EU, marking a new chapter in our relationship.

There is no alternative given todays realities and challenges.

The negotiating teams will quickly finalize the full legal text, followed by internal procedures leading to the agreements signature and ratification.

In conclusion, I appreciate the dedicated work of the Commission and UK negotiating teams, who have tirelessly collaborated with Spanish authorities.

I also sincerely value the commitment of Minister Albares and Secretary Lammy – it has been a pleasure working together to achieve this.